– News & Research
– ABLE Act Column
– Events

529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: The goal of the 529 Dash is to address the specific needs and concerns of advisers and institutions who sell and service families and employers in the education 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 529s, ABLE accounts and education financial planning.

Please Read, Engage and Share.

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

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

• Sammy Rabbit, “Childhood Money Memories with Paul Curley.” Editor's Take: Thank you Sammy and Leslie Gironie for raising awareness and understanding about the importance of early financial literacy, and much appreciated. Click the article to learn more.
• Kiplinger, “The coronavirus-caused 529 plan tax risk you can't ignore.” Editor's Take: The article outlines the scenerio of a parent paying for college with 529 assets and later receiving a refund from the college for room and board due to closure of the campus. The article provides a three step process for recontributing the refunded amount back into the 529 plan within 60 days to avoid non-qualified distribution taxes and penalties. In addition to the article, read page 58 of the IRS Pulication 970 here to learn more about recontribution of refunded amounts.
• 529 Insiders, “Status Board: SECURE Act 529 State Updates.” Editor's Take: The status board was updated this week to reflect a recategorization for Kentucky due to the passage of HB 311, and a correction for Virginia from “Not Clear or Decision Pending” to “Allow Student Loans & Allow Apprenticeship Withdrawals”. Click the link to review the updated status board.
• 529 Insiders, “Special Section: Round-Up on Market Volatility & Coronavirus.” Editor's Take: This article was updated this week to include a new blog post by Iowa Advisor 529 Plan and Florida Prepaid. This 529 Insiders article will be updated as additional messages are published by 529 providers and distributors, and included here in the 529 Dash e-newsletter going forward. Read the article to learn more.
• ISS Market Intelligence, Webinar on 4/30/2020. Editor's Take: Paul Curley will present an update on the 529 & ABLE industry and legislative landscape. Also, I will highlight 529 and ABLE industry announcements, legislative updates, data and research updates, and a host a Q&A session. Click the link to register for April's webinar, and email me if you have an announcement that you would like highlighted in the session. Thank you for the support.

ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts for certain individuals with disabilities and their families.

News, Research, Data & Resources:

• CalABLE, “Quarterly Newsletter.” Editor's Take: Thank you Dante Allan for writing the “From the Director” section filled with data and insight such as the importance of local community groups, and much appreciated. Read, learn and grow.
• Spokane Journal of Business, “State ABLE programs helps disabled people save for future.” Editor's Take: Thank you ABLE WA for initially sharing this long form article, and much appreciated.
• YouTube Video by ABLE NRC, “Understanding ABLE.” Editor's Take: Thank you Michael Morris for creating and sharing this video. It was released in 2016, and has gathered more than 27,000 videos. Thank you for helping to get the word out about ABLE accounts and for your ongoing leadership.

Save the Date: 529 Conference 2020 will be held from September 24-26, 2020, at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes.

Updates:

• 529 Conference and ABLE Summit Agenda Update: The session titles and timeslots for the 529 Conference and ABLE Summit have been posted to the event website.
• 529 Conference Agenda Update: Andrea Feirstein, Managing Director, AKF Consulting Group, has been confirmed as moderator of the “State's Perspective on Industry Trends and Building Momentum” session. (LinkedIn)
• 529 Conference Agenda Update: Chris Stack, Esq., Managing Consultant, SavingforCollege.com, has been confirmed as moderator of the “National Broker-Dealer's View on Product, Marketing and Distribution Strategies” session. (LinkedIn)
• 529 Conference Agenda Update: Amy Sochard, Vice President-Advertising Regulation, FINRA, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Legislative & Regulatory Developments” session. (LinkedIn)
• ABLE Summit Agenda Update: Paul Curley, CFA, Director of Savings Research, ISS Market Intelligence, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Chairman's Welcome and State of the Industry” session. (LinkedIn)

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