Issue 247:
– News & Research
– ABLE Act Column
– 529 Conference 2021

529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: The goal of the 529 Dash is to help institutions and financial professionals who help families and employers in the college financial planning process by creating and sharing industry relevant news, product training, and best practices, while also building awareness and understanding of the importance of 529 plans and ABLE accounts.

Please Read, Engage and Share.

Paul Curley, CFA
Director of 529 & ABLE Research
ISS Market Intelligence
paul.curley@issmarketintelligence.com
Twitter: @PaulCurleyBC

Here is what you need to know from stories, research and data released this week:

• 529 Insiders, “Target Market Analysis 2021: Trend of Parents Using 529s in 2021 vs 2017-2019.” Editor’s Take: What percentage of parents save for education with 529s in 2021, and how does that compare to pre-COVID levels in 2017, 2018, and 2019?
• T.Rowe Price, “Parents, Kids & Money Survey.” Editor’s Take: I really enjoy the key takeaways from this annual survey by T.Rowe Price, and this year’s release focuses on the impact of the pandemic on household finances. Read the press release here, and the slide deck of results here.
• Financial Advisor, “Tax break adds perk to college plans.” Editor’s Take: The article features financial advisors providing their insight on the five-year power gifting functionality of 529 plans, and click the article to learn more.
• Money, “Remember savings bonds? The infamous childhood birthday gift is a hot investment again.” Editor’s Take: Despite the focus in the news about an increase in inflation and therefore demand for treasury inflation product securities (TIPS), Mark Struthers, CFP, CFA, of Sona Wealth in Minnesota, points out how TIPS can be used in combination with 529s to create a strategic college financial plan with clients in the Money article and in Mark’s podcast here. Check out Mark’s podcast, or his website today to setup a free 15-minute intro meeting. In the meantime, thank you Mark for presenting at 529 Conference 2017 (Twitter, Instagram)!
• The College Investor, “How to find the best student loans and rates.” Editor’s Take: Check out the new student loan interest rates for 2021-2022 in the article here. Thank you Robert Farrington (Instagram/Twitter) for creating and sharing the article!

ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged investment vehicles for certain individuals with disabilities and their families. 
News, Research, Data & Resources:

• ABLEnow, “Information Session Webinar.” Editor’s Take: On May 20 at 12pm, ABLEnow is hosting an information session. Also, ABLEnow has launched a special offer to setup automatic contributions, and released a new blog post here.
• ABLE TN, “Tennessee is Five Years ABLE.” Editor’s Take: Congrats to ABLE TN for turning 5. To celebrate, the program has launched an initiative to celebrate. Click to learn more here.

Why & What: The 529 Conference is a highly interactive and educational industry gathering where you’ll learn from and network with the entire 529 and ABLE ecosystem to ensure product training, insight and networking across the 529 and ABLE community.

When: November 2-4, 2021

• 529 Essentials: November 2
• 529 Conference: November 3 and 4
• ABLE Summit: November 4

Where: Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Florida

Updates: Registration coming soon.

702 King Farm Boulevard, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850  |  +1 212-217-6884  |  issgovernance.com