Issue 251:
– 529 News & Research
– ABLE Act Column
– 529 Conference 2021

529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: The goal of the 529 Dash is to help institutions and financial professionals who help families and employers in the college 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 529 plans and ABLE accounts.

Please Read, Engage and Share.

Paul Curley, CFA
Director of 529 & ABLE Research
ISS Market Intelligence
paul.curley@issmarketintelligence.com
Twitter: @PaulCurleyBC

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

• Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), “Compliance Corner: Spring 2021” quarterly newsletter. Editor’s Take: Thank you MSRB for leading the newsletter with a focus on the MSRB Advisory Groups, and thank you Andrea Feirstein for sharing your insight on the importance of having a “seat at the table” via MSRB’s Municipal Securities Advisory Group in a quote in the newsletter. Read to learn more.
• Webinar, “The positive impact of 529 college savings plans.” Editor’s Take: On June 29 at 3pm EST, Capital Group in partnership with Kiplinger will host a roundtable on the positive impact of 529 plans. Topics will include making a college financial plan, the impact of higher education on family wealth and communities, and the value of 529 plans to families of all income levels. Register today, and read the Kiplinger article here on how to save for college like a pro. Timely topic, and see you there.
• Federal Reserve System, “Consumer Credit – G.19.” Editor’s Take: Student loans grew 5.1% from $1,646.4 billion as of 2019 before the pandemic to $1,730.0 billion as of March 2021. Furthermore, student loans grew $100.7 billion in the first quarter of 2021 compared to motor vehicles loans which grew $47.5 billion over the same time period. Check out the article to learn more.
• Twitter video by Zolet, Lenet and Fink of Morgan Stanley, “529 plan basics.” Editor’s Take: Joel Fink, CFP, CRPS, of Morgan Stanley in Lutherville, Maryland, provides an overview of 529 plans. Watch the 2-minute video to learn more about 529s, and how this adviser leverages 529s to build his book of business.
• ISS Market Intelligence, “529 Industry Analysis Report.” Editor’s Take: The annual 529 Industry Analysis 2021 report by ISS has been released and is the only dedicated 529 source in the marketplace that explains how to get more families to save with your 529 plan from a demographic, legislative, product, marketing and distribution perspective based on a new proprietary survey of parents fielded in March and April 2021. Click the report landing page here to learn more.

ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged investment vehicles for certain individuals with disabilities and their families. 
News, Research, Data & Resources:

• Lord Abbett, “Ready and willing to consider an ABLE account?” Editor’s Take: Thank you Lord Abbett for building awareness and understanding of ABLE plans, and for helping clients in the special needs financial planning process.
• YouTube by Our Special Needs Children, “Special Needs Planning for 2021; Make sense of a Special Needs Plan.” Editor’s Take: This recording of a webinar provides an overview of important aspects when creating a special needs plan from the perspective of a financial adviser. Learn key questions to ask your planner in this webinar, and how this adviser responds to the questions.

Why & What: The 529 Conference is a highly interactive and educational industry gathering where you’ll learn from and network with the entire 529 and ABLE ecosystem to ensure product training, insight and networking across the 529 and ABLE community.

When: November 2-4, 2021

• 529 Essentials: November 2
• 529 Conference: November 3 and 4
• ABLE Summit: November 4

Where: Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Florida

Updates: Registration opening soon.

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