Promise Post Script

Direct from the Upromise website:

Launched in April 2001, Upromise was created to help families save for college. By joining forces with some of America's leading companies, Upromise allows families to get back a percentage of their everyday spending into their Upromise accounts.
Upromise has built a simple way to help families learn more about their savings options, open investment accounts, and jumpstart their savings. The mission of Upromise is to make college more affordable for American families.
The College Savings Crisis in America The cost of college continues to rise exponentially, far outpacing inflation. Understandably, many families feel stymied when confronted with saving for college. Other families consider dipping into their retirement savings or deferring their own retirements to help fund educational expenses.
Coincidentally, student loans have mushroomed, leaving more graduates strapped with debt as they enter the workforce. Other students find it necessary to balance school workloads with part time jobs presenting a major challenge as they try to avoid the risk of dropping out.
The Solution: You, Upromise and America's Leading Companies The Upromise ServiceThe Upromise Service is free to join and allows members to save a percentage of their qualified spending with America's leading companies - including Citi®, ExxonMobil, McDonald's® and hundreds of others - as college savings in their Upromise account. Members can also get money for college by dining at more than 8,000 restaurants and shopping online at more than 500 online shopping sites. Since the launch of Upromise in April 2001, more than six million families have enrolled in the Upromise program, allowing them to chip away at the challenge of saving for college.
Upromise also includes Upromise Grocery, which gives members money back for college when they buy any of thousands of participating grocery, health and household items - including Elmer's Glue®, Lysol®, Tide® and Tylenol® products, among many others - at more than 20,000 grocery and drug stores nationwide.
Upromise Investments, Inc.Upromise Investments, Inc. (UII), a registered broker-dealer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Upromise, makes it easy to learn about college savings options and gives members access to two of America's top-rated 529 college savings plans, including the Upromise College Fund.
In November 2002, UII launched The Upromise College Fund, a nationally available 529 plan sponsored by The State of Nevada. Members can open an account online, get statements online and choose from several Vanguard investment options.
When a member links their Upromise account to a participating 529 plan, their Upromise savings are transferred automatically into their 529 plan on a periodic basis. Upromise members can also invite family and friends to join Upromise to accelerate their college savings.
The Upromise History Upromise was founded by Michael Bronner, who is Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Digitas, a leading marketing services firm. Bronner's interest in making college more affordable for families came from his own experience as a middle income, financial aid student. During his sophomore year, Bronner paid for much of his tuition by launching his first business - a couponing service for campus merchants. That company, now Digitas, employs approximately 1,500 professionals serving Fortune 50 clients like GM, American Express and AT&T.