News of Hatch's troubles weren't an inhibiting factor, he said.

"I feel like the fund itself is secure," he said. "What happened, that's an internal thing. This is the state of Utah. If it was a private company we were dealing with, I'd be nervous. But with the state of Utah, I feel safer. I don't think the state of Utah is out to, in this case, to get anybody."

Once the accounts are set up, Buhler will set aside $50 per month for his two sons, Ashten, 9, and Darwin, an infant.

"Fifty dollars a month isn't much money, and it's money I won't miss, because it comes right out of my checking account," said Buhler, who lives in Murray. "It seemed like a pretty easy way to help my kids out. It's not a lot of money, I know. I'm just an average working person. But I'm hoping this will help.

"I just think it's a great idea, just because of how hard it is to go to school, when there's no one there to help you. And you can put away any amount. I'm putting away $50 a kid, but you can put away $10 if that's all you have. That amount grows as they're in school. In the end, you may not be able to give them $100,000 to go to school, but if you start when they're young, you can maybe give them $6,000, $7,000 or $8,000. That's something."

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com