May is graduation month at colleges and universities across Illinois and May 29th serves as National 529 College Savings Day. 

Joe Buhrmann, manager in Financial Planning Support at COUNTRY Financial says student loan debt remains a growing problem and college savings plans can help alleviate the burden.

In addition to college savings plans, Buhrmann also encourages families to consider the military as an avenue for higher education and also to aggressively pursue grants and scholarships to lower the financial burden of college.