– 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:

• Inside Higher Ed, “Controversial tax break for loan repayments.” Editor's Take: The passage of the stimulus bill allows employers one year to payoff student loan debt of an employee tax-free for up to $5,250. Human Resource Executive publication covered the story here, and Planadviser covered the story here. Broadly, this is an example of college financial planning employer benefits continuing to expand, and read the article to learn more.
• Choose FI, “Ultimate guide to college hacking.” Editor's Take: While the article misses the opportunity to save and save efficiently over the long-term with 529 plans, the article does provide enough content around paying for college and reducing student loans to merit inclusion in this week's 529 Dash. Read, Learn and Share.
• GiftofCollege.com, “Gift of College's take your child to work (from home) day Facebook sweepstakes. Editor's Take: Thank you Gift of College for raising awareness of the importance of saving and saving efficiently for college, and for hosting the sweepstakes. Click the link to learn more and enter.
• 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 Legg Mason and Private College 529 Plan. 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.
• 529 Insiders, “March 2020 Webinar: 529 Primer & Industry Landscape Update.” Editor's Take: A replay of my 529 Primer webinar from March 31, 2020 has been posted to the 529 Insiders blog. Click the link to watch, learn and share.
• 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 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 this 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:

• Disability Scoop, “Coronavirus brings added worries for people with disabilities.” Editor's Take: Thank you for covering this important topic, and read to learn more.
• Social Security Administration, “Supplemental Security Income recipients will receive automatic COVID-19 economic impact payments.” Editor's Take: Timely topic, and an opportunity to expand usage of ABLE accounts as an emergency account going forward. Read to learn more.
• Elder Needs Law, PLLC YouTube Video, “Florida ABLE accounts and Special Needs Trust.” Editor's Take: Important educational video on the pros and cons of the two investment vehicles.

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

Updates:

• ABLE Summit Agenda Update: Chris McGee, General Counsel, Virginia529 | ABLEnow, and Vice Chair, College Savings Foundation, and Alisa Ferguson, Associate General Counsel, Virginia529 | ABLEnow, have been confirmed as presenters of the “ABLE Essentials Product Training Seminar” ABLE Summit session. (LinkedIn, LinkedIn)
• 529 Essentials Agenda Update: Online agenda for session titles, timeslots and speakers has been finalized after small tweaks were put into place this week. Next step will be to add session descriptions in the coming weeks.

“At dinner one night with my family, I mentioned that the 31^st was pay day. My daughter corrected me by saying that it was Save Day, and not Pay Day. I was so proud of her learning the important lesson to save and save efficiently.”
– Paul Curley in “Childhood Money Memories with Paul Curley” by Sammy Rabbit

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