529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: 
The goal of the 529 Dash e-newsletter 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

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

• MEFA, “Busting 529 college savings plan myths.” Editor’s Take: Thank you MEFA and Jonathan Hughes for raising awareness, understanding and prioritization of 529 plans and education financial planning, and thank you for including ISS Market Intelligence and market data from CSF Data Committee. Watch, learn and share, and cheers to creating a great day
• PR Newswire, “CSF celebrates 30 years of 529 education savings plans.” Editor’s Take: In celebration of the 30th birthday of 529 plans, CSF has pledged to drive increased awareness of 529s in 2026 and beyond. This is timely, as 25% of 529 accounts were opened for children and grandchildren by those who used 529s for their own education. Therefore, momentum of 529 usage is growing and especially amongst those who successfully used 529s to pay for their own education and therefore have firsthand experience of their efficacy when opening a new account for their children, grandchildren or other family members.  Read the article to learn a brief history and current trends on 529s, learn from quotes by users, and more.
• Congress, “A snapshot of federal student loan debt.” Editor’s Take: This article provides a historical review of annual student loan amounts borrowed, cumulative amounts owed, total aggregate amounts, and potential policy issues. 
• MEFA, “MEFA webinars: Early College Planning.” Editor’s Take: On January 20th at 6:30pm EST, Julie Shields-Rutyna of MEFA is hosting a webinar in partnership with four public libraries for parents on information, resources and tools in support of their college search process. Register, attend and share to learn more.
• planadviser, “Expanded ABLE account eligibility could provide new source of retirement income.” Editor’s Take: Thank you for raising awareness and understanding of ABLE accounts, and for sourcing ISS Market Intelligence, AKF Consulting, Chapleau Law Group, and Vestwell. Read, learn and share.
• 529 Insiders, “3Q 2025 529 & ABLE market sizing highlights.” Editor’s Take: Click the link to learn more about 529 and ABLE market sizing as of June 30, 2025.

529 Conference 2026 – Save the Date:

• Dates: September 23–25, 2026
• Location: JW Marriott Nashville
• Information: Please contact Paul Curley if you have any questions about the event such as registration, sponsorships, agenda, format, and more.

Please forward the e-newsletter to others to subscribe using the link here, or click “reply” anytime to connect or share feedback, thoughts, and ideas on the newsletter or industry trends. Cheers to creating a great day.