November 18, 2025

The Smart Way to Save for College with Jordan Lee

Many families feel they don't know the 'perfect' way to save for college, so they put off saving at all. Jordan Lee demystifies the process and encourages families to start now and adjust their strategy later if they find a better fit.

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About this Episode

In this episode, Jordan Lee, CEO of Saving for College and founder of Backer, unpacks the power and flexibility of 529 college savings plans. He describes how families often experience ‘analysis paralysis’ when it comes to saving for college, and why starting small, early, and simply is better than waiting for the ‘perfect’ plan.

He also breaks down how recent legislation has expanded the possible uses of 529 plans, from private K–12 education to alternative credentials and apprenticeships. He describes how employer contributions can play a role in saving, and how to easily invite friends and family to contribute.

Mentioned in This Episode

Host

Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut.Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Guest

Jordan Lee

Jordan Lee is CEO of Saving For College (savingforcollege.com), the top online resource for saving and paying for education, and its parent Backer (backer.com), the leading fintech company focused on 529 plans. Prior to founding Backer in 2015, Jordan was a senior product leader at an enterprise software company, founded a Y Combinator-backed productivity startup, pursued a PhD in political science at Princeton, and was a public policy researcher at the Brookings Institution. He is the lead investment adviser representative at Backer, holds a Series 65 license, and has a BA from Harvard and MAs from Yale and Princeton.