Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 477,692 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,285 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 107,665 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,285 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 107,665 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,232 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 477,692 cutting edge ideas.

College Savings Apps

Clean the Sky - Positive Eco Trends & Breakthroughs

CollegeBacker Makes it Easy to Contribute to a Tax-Free College Fund

— September 21, 2016 — Tech
College is expensive, but the CollegeBacker app is making it easier for parents to save smartly for their children's futures.

CollegeBacker makes use of an unfortunately underutilized financial tool in the US: the 529 College Savings Plan. The 529 is a government-supported savings account that allows people to invest money towards college tax-free, removing future student debt for children.

With CollegeBacker, parents can easily open and contribute to their children's 529 accounts. Since the minimum contribution to open an account is just $25, the app is accessible for people in any income range.

The CollegeBacker app also allows other contributors to add money to the account. This means that grandparents can contribute as well, or parents can ask for donations during their children's birthday parties, for example.
Trend Themes
1. 529 College Savings Plan - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop technology that simplifies the process of opening and contributing to 529 college savings accounts, making it more accessible for a wider range of individuals.
2. Crowd-funding for College Savings - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a platform that enables individuals to easily pool money together for college savings, encouraging family and friends to contribute towards a child's education.
3. Mobile Apps for Financial Planning - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design a mobile app that offers comprehensive financial planning tools specifically tailored for saving towards a college education.
Industry Implications
1. Financial Technology (fintech) - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative financial technology solutions that simplify and enhance the college savings process, providing greater accessibility and convenience for users.
2. Education and Edtech - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate technology into the education sector by creating platforms and tools that enable parents, students, and schools to effectively save and plan for college expenses.
3. Retail and E-commerce - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Partner with retailers to create online registries or platforms that allow individuals to easily request and receive monetary contributions towards college savings instead of traditional gifts.
1.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness