College tuition bills are due. Now what?

Consider if borrowing could help pay for education expenses

Paying for a college education can be one of the most challenging financial goals facing families today. While the cost of attending public universities can be substantial, private colleges can cost easily over $50,000 per year, according to the College Board.¹ Before your child enters college, you need to know how you’ll make those large payments.

If you have time before those tuition bills come rolling in, you should consider using a Section 529 Plan to save for future education expenses. Section 529 Plans can be one of the best ways to save for qualified education expenses for a designated beneficiary because of their tax advantages and the potential for your investment to grow over time.²

While you can save for your child’s education expenses, if you haven’t saved enough, you and your child may need to combine savings, borrowing, and potentially financial aid, grants and scholarships, if your child is eligible. Consider how you’ll do that. For example, if savings will cover only two years of expenses, will you use those funds to pay for the first two years or the last two? Or, will you spread your savings over all four years and borrow each year to cover the remaining expenses?

College loans are available to the student but can take many years for them to repay. If you don’t want to leave your student burdened with debt when they graduate, consider if your borrowing could be an additional tool to help pay for educational expenses. Speak with your advisor about Bank of America credit solutions, which may include the following:

Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)

With a HELOC from Bank of America, you can borrow against the available equity in your home to cover education expenses.

Rates are generally lower than other borrowing options, such as private student loans.
Special interest rate discounts are available.³
Easily transfer funds from your HELOC to your Bank of America deposit accounts to pay tuition bills or send funds to the student, up to your available credit limit.
No application fees, no closing costs (on lines of credit up to $1,000,000) and no annual fees.
Interest you pay may be tax deductible.⁴

You should consider all the benefits, as well as the risks. Please see below.

Loan Management Account^® (LMA^® account)

With an LMA account from Bank of America, you can borrow against the value of your eligible assets held at Merrill when you need to cover upcoming tuition and other expenses.

Using your eligible investment assets as collateral can give you convenient access to borrowed funds, all while helping you keep your investment strategy on track.
Opening an LMA^® account is fast and simple, taking only three to five business days.
Pay tuition easily with LMA convenience checks, free wire transfers or through your Bank of America checking account.
Benefit from highly competitive interest rates and flexible repayment options to coincide with your cash flow situation.

You should consider all the benefits, as well as the risks. Please see below.

Your advisor can provide access to Bank of America's lending solutions to address your needs, depending on your circumstances.

Risks & Considerations

LMA account

Securities-based financing involves special risks. You should review your LMA Loan Agreement and related documents and disclosures carefully and consult with your own independent tax and legal advisors.

The risks to consider include:

A decline in the value of collateral assets may require you to provide additional funds or securities to avoid a collateral maintenance call. You can lose more funds than are held in the collateral account. The LMA account is a full recourse loan and the account holder will be liable for any deficiency.
Bank of America ("the Bank") can force the sale or other liquidation of any securities or other investment property in the collateral account and, unless otherwise required by law, can do so without first contacting the account holder.
The account holder is not entitled to choose which securities in the collateral account are liquidated or sold.
The Bank can change its collateral maintenance requirement at any time without notice to you.
You are not entitled to an extension of time to satisfy the Bank’s collateral maintenance requirement.
There may be adverse tax or other consequences to you if securities are sold or otherwise liquidated by the Bank.
The LMA account is an uncommitted facility, although loans to individuals and trusts may be committed in an amount not to exceed $100,000. The Bank may demand full or partial repayment at any time, and any commitment may be immediately terminated.
For fixed-rate advances and term loans, principal payments made in advance of the end of the applicable fixed-rate period, whether voluntarily or involuntarily (due to demand or liquidation by the Bank), may be subject to a substantial breakage fee, as determined by the Bank.
Some restrictions on the use of LMA account proceeds may apply under the terms of loan documents and applicable laws and regulations. The LMA account cannot be used to purchase marketable securities unless specifically agreed by the Bank.

HELOC

As a variable-rate loan, interest rates and payments can change based upon The Wall Street Journal Prime Rate (“Prime”). Prime may change at any time and is subject to change without notice.
If you select the interest-only option during the initial draw period, at the end of this period, you will still owe the original amount borrowed, and the monthly payment will increase significantly and may result in “payment shock” – even if interest rates stay the same.
A HELOC takes a security interest in your home, so a default on the HELOC could result in the loss of your home. HELOC funds may not be used to purchase, carry or trade securities or repay debt incurred to purchase, carry or trade securities.

¹College Board: Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2023.

² To be eligible for favorable tax treatment afforded to the earnings portion of a withdrawal from a section 529 account, such withdrawal must be used for "qualified higher education expenses," as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. The earnings portion of a withdrawal that is not used for such expenses is subject to federal income tax and may be subject to a 10% additional federal tax, as well as applicable state and local income taxes. The additional tax is waived under certain circumstances. Qualified higher education expenses include: tuition, fees, supplies and equipment required for enrollment or attendance of the beneficiary at an eligible educational institution, certain room and board expenses, special needs services incurred in connection with enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution, and computers or peripheral equipment, computer software, or internet access and related services. The beneficiary must be attending an eligible educational institution at least half time for room and board to be considered a qualified higher education expense, subject to limitations. Institutions must be eligible to participate in federal student financial aid programs to be eligible educational institutions. Some foreign institutions are eligible. You can also take a federal income tax-free distribution from a 529 account of up to $10,000 per calendar year per beneficiary from all 529 accounts to help pay for tuition at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school. Qualified higher education expenses now include expenses for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for the participation of a beneficiary in an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Secretary of Labor under the National Apprenticeship Act and amounts paid as principal or interest on any qualified education loans of the beneficiary or sibling of the beneficiary, up to a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per individual. Distributions with respect to the loans of a sibling of the beneficiary will count towards the lifetime limit of the sibling, not the beneficiary. Such repayments may impact student loan interest deductibility. State tax treatment may vary for distributions to pay for tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school, apprenticeship expenses, and payment of qualified education loans.

³ Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) interest rate discounts are offered to clients who are enrolled or are eligible to enroll in Preferred Rewards, based on their rewards tier at the submittal of home equity application (for co-borrowers, at least one applicant must be enrolled or eligible to enroll). Amount of discount (0.125% for Gold tier, 0.250% for Platinum tier, 0.375% for Platinum Honors tier, 0.625% for Diamond tier and 0.750% for Diamond Honors tier) is based on the rewards tier at the submittal of home equity application and is not subject to adjustment after the application is submitted. For further details, refer to the Preferred Rewards section of the Personal Schedule of Fees, available at bankofamerica.com/fees. Benefit is non-transferable. Preferred Rewards home equity benefit can be combined with certain other home equity interest rate discounts.

⁴ Please consult your tax advisor regarding interest deductibility as tax rules may have changed.

The Loan Management Account (LMA account) is a demand line of credit provided by Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. The LMA account requires a brokerage account at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and sufficient eligible collateral to support a minimum credit facility size of $100,000. All securities are subject to credit approval and Bank of America, N.A. may change its collateral maintenance requirements at any time. Securities-based financing involves special risks and is not for everyone. When considering a securities-based loan, consideration should be given to individual requirements, portfolio composition and risk tolerance, as well as capital gains, portfolio performance expectations and investment time horizon. The securities or other assets in any collateral account may be sold to meet a collateral call without notice to the client, the client is not entitled to an extension of time on the collateral call and the client is not entitled to choose which securities or other assets will be sold. The client can lose more funds than deposited in such collateral account. The LMA account is uncommitted and Bank of America, N.A. may demand full repayment at any time. A complete description of the loan terms can be found within the LMA account agreement. Clients should consult their own independent tax and legal advisors. Some restrictions may apply to purpose loans and not all managed accounts are eligible as collateral. All applications for LMA accounts are subject to approval by Bank of America, N.A. For fixed-rate and term advances, principal payments made prior to the due date will be subject to a breakage fee.

Before taking out any mortgage or line of credit, borrowers should consult their tax advisor to understand the implications of each of their options.

HELOC funds may not be used to purchase, carry or trade securities or repay debt incurred to purchase, carry or trade securities.

Banking, mortgage and home equity products offered by Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation. Home Icon for Equal Housing Lender Equal Housing Lender.

Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.