– 529 Insiders Article of the Week
– News & Research
– Data
– 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, 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

Status Board: K-12 State Updates

• Which states have passed, have not passed or will not pass enabling legislation to include K-12 tuition as a 529 qualified expense for state tax purposes?

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

• 6% increase in average student loan debt for graduates in 2017 to $39,400 compared to 2016. Editor's Take: The rise in student loan debt increases demand for college financial planning.
• 20% of millennials do not expect to pay off their student loans. Editor's Take: Demand for college financial planning throughout the cycle of saving, paying and repaying continues to rise.
• CNBC, “Why you’re using the wrong method to pick your college savings plan.” Editor's Take: Thank you Darla Mercado for sourcing 529 data from Strategic Insight in the article.
• CNBC (Video), “529 plans.” Editor's Take: Douglas A. Boneparth, CFP, AIF, MBA, President at Bone Fide Wealth and Author of “The Millennial Money Fix”, provides his perspective on the fundamentals of 529s, selecting a 529 and college financial planning overall. Read our 529 Insiders interview with Douglas here to learn more.
• Planadviser, “An experiment in crowd funded 529 college savings.” Editor's Take: Timely article that reasserts the importance of gifting in the college financial planning process.
• Financial Planning Association, “529 plan investment advice: focusing on equity concentration and fees”

Here is the latest 529 and ABLE market data by Strategic Insight that can be used by the media and other organizations.

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

News, Research, Data & Resources:

• Kiplinger, “ABLE accounts give disabled more financial freedom.” Editor's Take: Several special needs planners and account owners provide their perspective on how they use ABLE accounts, what fees are involved and how they balance the usage of ABLE accounts with a special needs trust. In the meantime, thank you Kim for writing the article, and please read the article to learn more about how you can use ABLE accounts as well.
• Webinar, “Maryland ABLE updates.” Editor's Take: The 90 minute webinar on June 20th at 4pm EST will provide an overview of the recent enhancements to the plan.
• Washington Post, “This woman is an exceptionally effective Capitol Hill lobbyist. She also has Down syndrome.”
• 529 Insiders, “529 & ABLE 1Q 2018 529 Data Highlights”

Events: Strategic Insight ABLE Summit 2018 will be held on September 26, 2018, at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. Registration is now open, and early bird registration rates is available through June 22nd.

When: September 24-26, 2018
Where: JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes
What: A highly interactive and educational industry gathering with the entire college financial planning ecosystem.
How: Registration now open, and early bird registration rates now available through June 22nd

Agenda Updates:

• Leo Acheson, CFA, Associate Director, Manager Research, Morningstar, Inc., has been confirmed as a speaker on the “Investment Line-Up Trends and Outlook” panel.
• Ryan White, CIMA, 529 Specialist, Product Management, Columbia Threadneedle Investments, has been confirmed as a speaker on the “The Future of Product Strategy” panel.
• Jordan Lee, Founder & CEO, CollegeBacker, has been confirmed as a speaker on the “Emerging Marketing and Distribution Channels” panel.

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