– 529 Insiders Article of the Week
– News
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– Data
– Events
– ABLE Act Column
– Recruiter’s Corner

529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: The goal of the 529 Dash is to address the specific needs and concerns of advisers, accountants and estate planners who sell and service families and institutions in the college financial planning process by providing industry relevant news, product training and best practices.

Please Read, Engage and Share.

Paul Curley, CFA
Editor-in-Chief of 529 Dash
Director of College Savings Research
paul.curley@strategic-i.com
Twitter: @PaulCurleyBC
LinkedIn: Strategic Insight 529 Dash LinkedIn Group

Comprehensive Financial Wellness, Saving for Retirement & College Financial Planning

How does college financial planning align with saving for retirement and the recent trend towards financial wellness?

Here is what you need to know from stories released this week.

– Wall Street Journal, “Which state’s ‘529’ should you pick?” Editor’s Take: Advisors should create and document a process for selecting 529 plans for their clients.
– Plansponsor, “A Heavy Load – Understanding Millennials’ competing financial priorities.” Editor’s Take: Advisors have an opportunity to expand financial wellness offerings for their corporate clients by incorporating a college financial planning component into employee benefits packages.
– Inspiration Financial Planning by Nannette Kamien, “The emotions behind paying for college.” Editor’s Take: Nannette Kamien also provides a whitepaper on college financial planning here.
– Kiplinger, “Don’t overlook these tax credits for college.” Editor’s Take: Short intro to the AOTC.
– NPR, “Our Student Loan Secrets, Part 1”

Last Week’s Most Read Articles:
– Bloomberg, “Why millennials won’t be buying your house.” Editor’s Take: The value of college financial planning as a means to reduce or eliminate student loan debt continues to rise. Charts in the article are worth reviewing.

Here is what you need to know from data and research released this week.

– 50% of Americans report debt as a financial issue. Editor’s Take: Advisors need to impress upon their clients the value of savings for financial goals such as higher education as opposed to the much larger cost of paying back student loan debt plus compound interest payments. This is especially the case as student loan debt is are not dismissible in bankruptcy.
– 21% of those in their 20s owned a home in 2016, compared to 32% in 2007.

Here is the latest market data by Strategic Insight that can be used by the media and other organizations, and contact Strategic Insight for more information and commentary on its proprietary data, research, events and digital publications.

March 2017 Quarterly 529 Market Sizing Data
– 13.3 million accounts invested $289 billion in assets in 529 savings and prepaid plans 
– 12.2 million accounts invested $266 billion in assets in 529 savings plans 
– 1.1 million accounts invested $23 billion in assets in 529 prepaid plans
– 7,286 accounts invested $25.5 million in assets in ABLE (529A) accounts

When: September 11-13, 2017
Where: JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes
Overview: Strategic Insight’s 529 Conference 2017 is a highly interactive and educational industry gathering where you’ll meet and network with the entire college financial planning ecosystem. The pre-conference optional session of the ‘Essentials Seminar’ provides an understanding of the granular details of 529 plans in a constantly evolving market, while the post-conference optional session of the ‘ABLE Afternoon Summit’ provides insight and networking opportunities to support the successful implementation and usage of ABLE accounts.

– Registration for the event is now open.

This section will cover this week’s top legislative updates, product developments, news and resources relating to ABLE accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings accounts for certain individuals with disabilities and their families.

News, Research & Resources:
– Kiplinger, “Opening an ABLE Account.” Editor’s Take: Question and answer with industry perspectives by Oregon ABLE Savings Plan. Thank you Brenda for sharing the article with me.
– CantonRep.com, “STABLE program helps those with disabilities save money.” Editor’s Take: Article successfully provides an account owners perspective on the importance of ABLE accounts and how they work for her family.
– Center on Disability Studies, “An introduction to ABLE accounts.” Editor’s Take: 1-page overview of ABLE accounts by an active social media organization.

Industry Events: Strategic Insight ABLE Summit 2017 on September 13, 2017 at the JW Marriott, Orlando Grande Lakes. Agenda Updates: The time slots for the three panels have been expanded from 50 minutes to 60 minutes each.

List of Open Programs: 529 Insiders
Product Training Primer: 529 Insiders
Market Data: Strategic Insight – 7,286 accounts invested $25.5 million in assets in ABLE (529A) accounts as of March 31, 2017

Please contact Paul Curley at paul.curley@strategic-i.com if you are seeking a speaker for an upcoming event.

Upcoming:
– Wirehouse branch-wide continuing education presentation, “The Best of 529 Essentials Seminar” with Paul Curley, CFA, in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 18th at 2pm

Please email job descriptions that would be of interest to the readership of the 529 Dash to Paul Curley at paul.curley@strategic-i.com.

– NEPC is seeking to hire an Investment Analyst for its Defined Contribution Team in Boston, Massachusetts, and click here to learn more
– First National Bank of Omaha is seeking to hire a Director of Retirement Plan Services in Omaha, Nebraska, and click here to learn more. (JOB ID 37-14580)
– VA College Savings Plan is seeking to hire a Marketing Associate, and click here to learn more.
– Franklin Templeton is hiring an Associate Marketing Manager for the NJBEST College Savings Plan in Short Hills, New Jersey, and click here to learn more.
– John Hancock is seeking to hire an Internal Wholesaler, and click here to learn more.
– State Street is seeking to hire an Intermediary Marketing Program Associate in Boston, Massachusetts, and click here to learn more.
– Invesco is seeking to hire an Internal Sales Consultant in Houston, Texas, and click here to learn more.
– NorthStar is seeking to hire an Account Service Specialist, and click here to learn more.

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