– 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 and institutions who sell and service families and employers in the education 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 529s, ABLE accounts and education financial planning.

Please Read, Engage and Share.

Paul Curley, CFA
Director of Savings Research
paul.curley@strategic-i.com
Twitter: @PaulCurleyBC

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

• 529 Insiders, “Status Board: K-12 State Updates.” Editor's Take: Arizona has been updated from “State Legislation Pending to Allow K-12 Withdrawals State Tax Free” to “Allow K-12 Withdrawals State Tax Free.”
• MassMutual, “529s college saving plans underutilized by many families.” Editor's Take: Underutilization provides advisors with an opportunity to add value by having the college financial planning conversation, or as Spencer Sherman, Founder and Executive Chairperson of Abacus Wealth, noted in the 529 Insiders article here, “It is a marker of something happening that they would not have done on their own.” Therefore, have the college financial planning conversation, today.
• Plansonsor, “Will education benefit offerings increase soon?” Editor's Take: Great round-up from a new survey on what college financial planning employer benefits are currently offered and in the pipeline going forward. Thank you for creating and sharing, and read the article to learn more.
• Kiplinger, “Should you supplement your traditional 529 with a Private 529 College Plan?” Editor's Take: Paul Sydlansky, CFP, Founder of Lake Road Advisors, LLC, provides an overview of how and why one may want to use the college financial planning strategy of using both 529 savings plans and 529 prepaid plans together. Read the article to learn the strategy as well.
• Bloomberg, “The $1.9 trillion fund giant with a crazy idea about investing.” Editor's Take: Great to see goal based investing including such as college financial planning at the center of the article, and espcially the line of, “More important, it found success in selling products designed to achieve specific investor goals, such as saving for a college education or retirement.” Thank you for raising the prioritization of college financial planning.

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:

• 529 Inisders, “List of Open ABLE Programs.” Editor's Take: This status board has been updated to reflect the launch of Mississippi ABLE, as highlighted in this article by WCBI,
• YouTube (Video), “MiABLE Anthem” and “MiABLE.” Editor's Take: Thank you MiABLE has creating and sharing these two videos, as they will help to build awareness of ABLE accounts.
• Disability Scoop, “ABLE accounts slow to catch on.” Editor's Take: Building awareness, understanding and usage of ABLE accounts will take time. As such, thank you to the organizations that help get the message out.
• Social Media Buzz, “Tweets. Media.” Editor's Take: Thank you Oregon ABLE Savings for helping to build awareness of ABLE accounts.

When: September 23-25, 2019
Where: Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida.
What: The 529 Conference is a highly interactive and educational industry gathering where you’ll meet and network with the entire 529 and ABLE ecosystem.
How: Early bird registration rates are available until June 21, 2019. Register here.

Agenda Update:

• Ben Gibbons, Director of Marketing, Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, has been confirmed as presenter on the “Direct-Sold Marketing Strategies” 529 Conference session.
• Adam Faccone, CFA, Director, Stable Value Product Management, Prudential Financial, has been confirmed as presenter on the “Product Strategy, Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference session.
• Vince Randazzo, Policy Advisor, National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), has been confirmed as presenter on the “ABLE Outlook: Challenges & Opportunities” ABLE Afternoon Summit session.
• Mark A. Chapleau, Esq., Member, Chapleau Law Group, has been confirmed as presenter of the “ABLE Essentials Product Training Seminar” ABLE Afternoon Summit session.
• Andrea Feirstein, Managing Director, AKF Consulting Group, has been confirmed as moderator of the “ABLE Landscape: Meeting the Needs from All Perspectives” ABLE Afternoon Summit session.

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