529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: 
The goal of the 529 Dash is to help institutions, financial professionals, employers, and families in the education financial planning process by creating and sharing industry relevant news, product training, market data 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
Executive Director
ISS Market Intelligence
paul.curley@issmarketintelligence.com
Twitter: @PaulCurleyBC

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

• Ascensus, “Washington Pulse – 2025 tax bill provides key changes for savers.” Editor’s Take: Thank you Ascensus for creating and sharing this round-up of provisions included in the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Stay up to date on the last legislative and product trends by reading the article.
• Higher Ed Dive, “3 charts that tell the story of spring 2025 enrollment.” Editor’s Take: 529 product providers and distributors should note that there was a 3.2% increase in the college student population this last year, with a 4.1% increase amongst those 30 years old or older in the spring 2025 semester. Therefore, demand for 529s will continue to rise, and amongst mid-career accelerators and career pivoters. Therefore, 529s have an opportunity to grow to a broader population to align with shifing demographic trends.
• Rich Habits, “Invest in forever assets. Forever assets pay dividends for the rest of your life.” Editor’s Take: Thank you Tom Corley of Rich Habits for highlighting that a college degree, graduate degree, post-graduate degree and continuous education are forever assets. The value and importance of education and training continues to increase, and so does the importance of education financial planning with 529s. Have the conversation today.
• The College Investor, “529 plans now cover more K-12 education costs.” Editor’s Take: 529s continue their track record of legislative strengthening which broadens usage to new target markets which creates economies of scale for implementation of ease-of-use enhancements. Thank you Robert Farrington for broadening awareness and deepening understanding of 529s and for presenting at 529 Conference 2019 (panel photo here), and read the article to learn more.
• CNBC, “Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill,’ other new laws, make it easier for individuals with disabilities to save money.” Editor’s Take: Thank you Sharon Epperson of CNBC for raising awareness and understanding of ABLE accounts and for quoting Mary Morris of Commonwealth Savers and me with ISS Market Intelligence. Read, learn and share.
• 529 Insiders, “1Q 2025 529 & ABLE market sizing highlights.” Editor’s Take: Click the link to learn more about 529 and ABLE market sizing as of March 31, 2025.
• 529 Insiders, “Status Board: State Income Tax Treatment on 529 Distributions to Roth IRAs.” Editor’s Take: On August 1, 2025, the status board updated Arkansas from “Not clear or decision pending” with an annotation of “Arkansas: State legislators will convene for a regular session in 2025, and will have a vote called to determine its position at that time” to “529 Distributions to Roth IRAs a Qualified Expense for State Income Tax” purposes with an annotation of “Per plan disclosure supplement BFD_SUPP_072025.”

• Dates: September 29 – October 1, 2025
• Location: Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, Florida, USA
• Registration: Register here
• Hotel Room: Book in event room block here
• Agenda: Current version here
  • Sunday, September 28: Welcome Reception
  • Monday, September 29: Day 1 – 529 Essentials Seminar
  • Tuesday, September 30: Day 2 – 529 Conference Panels, Presentations & Roundtables
  • Wednesday, October 1: Day 3 – 529 Conference Final Half Day of Panels, Presentations & Roundtables
• Event Updates:
  • Rob Forshee, Product Manager – CollegeAmerica & ABLEAmerica, Capital Group, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Top-5 Education Financial Planning Strategies” 529 Conference panel.
  • Jason Kephart, Senior Principal, Global Multi-Asset Strategy Ratings, Morningstar Research Services LLC, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Investment Line-Up Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference panel.
  • Justin Hansen, Managing Director – Head  of 529, Retail SMA & Global Strategic Accounts, MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Engaging New Audiences by Consumer Behavior, Demographics and Channels” 529 Conference panel.
  • Christopher McGee, General Counsel & Head of Policy, Commonwealth Savers, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Engaging New Audiences by Consumer Behavior, Demographics and Channels” 529 Conference panel.
  • Thank you Invesco for the Monday Breakfast Sponsorship
  • Anthony Durkan, Vice President, Head of 529 Relationship Management, Fidelity Investment, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Engaging New Audiences by Consumer Behavior, Demographics and Channels” 529 Conference panel.
  • Matt Golden, Senior Vice President, Head of State Savings, Vestwell, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Working Lunch: 529 Partnership Opportunities to Generate Long-Term Growth” 529 Conference panel.
  • Viraaj Kumar, Associate Director, Head of Retirement Product & Strategy, ISS Market Intelligence, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Working Lunch: 529 Partnership Opportunities to Generate Long-Term Growth” 529 Conference panel. This new panel has been added to the agenda on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 from 12:30pm-1:15pm with a current description of “This panel will focus on improving interconnectivity and interweaving storyboards between financial planning goals for families, investment vehicles and product providers from 529 to ABLE to state-facilitated retirement to employer channel retirement (401k) to IRAs to new areas of research. This “working lunch” session will provide attendees with an educational framework to bridge the gaps and network to create stronger futures for families and their stakeholders across financial planning goals. Bring your lunch, learn and grow.”
  • Treasurer Kimberly Yee, Treasurer, State of Arizona, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Engaging New Audiences by Consumer Behavior, Demographics and Channels” 529 Conference panel.
  • Jeffrey Bennett, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, Invesco, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Investment Line-Up Adjustments for Market Volatility in 2025” 529 Conference panel.
  • Eitan Gazit, FSA, CFA, Vice President, Retirement Strategies, Prudential, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Investment Line-Up Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference panel.
  • Jordan Lee, CEO, Backer and Saving For College, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Platforms, Fintech and Emerging Trends and Opportunities” 529 Conference panel.
  • Ben Mahnkey, Senior Benefits Manager, Amazon, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Product Strategy Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference panel.
  • Thank you Backer and Saving For College for the Presenting Sponsorship

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