Key Steps in Planning Your Child's Education in the U.S.

For many Chinese-American families, the hard part of planning a child’s education in the U.S. is not any single step. School choice, applications, extracurricular activities and paying for school are spread across more than a decade, and each decision affects the others. Education is also part of what a family passes on, and as a family office, Meta Mega Group brings these pieces into one plan and works through them according to the stage your child is in.

Our Approach

One plan, from early education to the start of a career

Our advice covers early learning, school and college applications, and career planning. The point is not to offer a one-time recommendation at a single milestone, but to manage the whole educational path as one project.

Tailored to the child

Every child has different interests, strengths and potential. We start by getting to know the child, then combine our advisors’ experience with professional assessments where appropriate to build a plan that fits that child.

Access to schools and specialists

Depending on the family’s needs, we can help connect you with private schools, universities, extracurricular programs and professionals in relevant fields, so you have fuller information before making decisions.

Education funding

Our education financial planning covers setting up education savings, scholarship applications and student loan guidance, so the family is financially prepared and can focus on the child’s development.

The most common tool is the 529 plan, a state-sponsored education savings account. Contributions are not deductible for federal income tax, but investment earnings grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified education expenses such as college tuition, books, and room and board are free of federal income tax. Starting in 2026, the annual limit for using 529 funds on K-12 (kindergarten through high school) tuition rose from $10,000 to $20,000 per beneficiary (One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025; see IRS Topic 313). California has not adopted this expansion and offers no state deduction for contributions, so when a California resident uses 529 earnings for K-12 tuition, the earnings are subject to state income tax plus an additional 2.5% tax (ScholarShare 529). If money is left over, SECURE 2.0 allows, starting in 2024, a transfer from a 529 open at least 15 years to a Roth IRA (a retirement account funded with after-tax money whose qualified withdrawals are tax-free) in the child’s name, up to a $35,000 lifetime cap and subject to that year’s Roth IRA contribution limit (IRS Publication 590-A).

Networks and connections between families

We also help children gradually build their own networks, and we host family events from time to time so families can connect with one another.

Our Services

• Early education advice: choosing suitable early learning programs and nurturing an interest in learning.
• K-12 school selection and admissions: comparing public and private schools and helping with applications and essays.
• College admissions planning: choosing a field of study, plus guidance or referrals for standardized test and interview preparation.
• Extracurricular planning: activities matched to the child’s interests and application goals.
• Career development: planning for internships and career direction.
• Education financial planning: education savings, scholarship applications and the family education budget, including preparation of the FAFSA (the federal student aid application that determines eligibility for federal grants and student loans; see studentaid.gov) and the CSS Profile (the College Board’s aid application, which some private colleges use to award their own institutional aid).

How to Decide

If college is more than ten years away, start saving for education and choose a 529 plan; California families planning on private K-12 school should first work out the state tax cost of paying K-12 tuition from a 529. If your child is already in high school, the focus shifts to school selection, the application timeline, and how your assets and income will be counted on the FAFSA and CSS Profile. If you have several children, or grandparents overseas who want to contribute, education planning should be coordinated with the family’s overall tax and estate planning.

If you would like to map out an education plan for your child’s current stage, please contact Meta Mega Group.