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 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
Twitter: @PaulCurleyBC

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

• MarketWatch, “Brace yourself: This is exactly how much you should have saved for your kid’s college by the time they’re 5, 13 and 18.” Editor’s Take: Thank you Vanessa Wong for quoting and sourcing ISS Market Intelligence in the article. The most important message from a personal finance perspective for families is that a dollar saved is more than a dollar earned. Saving automatically adds up, and 529s increasingly make sense for almost all families once an emergency fund is in place. Read and share.
• Federal Reserve Bank of New York, “The labor market for recent college graduates.” Editor’s Take: These charts show how recent graduates are faring compared to all college graduates and young works by unemployment rates, underemployment, and wages. Additionally, there is a table that reports labor market outcomes by college major. Interesting data and insight, and so take a look.
• Higher Education Dive, “Tuition discounts at private nonprofits continue to climb, estimates show.” Editor’s Take: Latest update on trends in tuition discounts. While tuition inflation and discounts are not something that parents and advisors can plan on, parents and planners do have an opportunity to take control of the planning and outcome by creating and executing an education financial plan. Save and invest efficiently for education with 529s and have the education financial planning conversation today. 
• Plansponsor, “Vanguard: Modern plan designs strengthen participant saving.” Editor’s Take: 45% of 401(k) plan participants have increased their savings rate in 2024 per a report by Vanguard titled, “How America Saves 2025.” Though not directly related to education financial planning or 529s, great article and timely report on how families are broadly saving for their financial goals. Read, learn and bookmark. 
• ISS Market Intelligence, “529 Industry Analysis 2025.” Editor’s Take: Based on a proprietary survey of 1000+ consumers fielded in April 2025, this report analyzes key trends driving industry growth for product providers and distributors in 2025 and beyond such as demographic target markets, product developments, legislative enhancements, marketing initiatives, and distribution trends. Click the link to preview the table of contents, and contact ISS MI here to learn more about subscribing to the report.
• ISS Insights and ISS Market Intelligence, “529 Day 2025: Top Trends in 529 Plans in 2025.” Editor’s Take: ISS Market Intelligence and Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage, teamed up to create this on-demand webinar with 529 reminders, trends, and best practices. Click the link above for on-demand access to the webinar.
• 529 Insiders, “1Q 2025 529 & ABLE market sizing highlights.” Editor’s Take: Click the link to learn more about 529 and ABLE market sizing as of March 31, 2025.
• ISS Status Boards: K-12, Student Loans & Apprenticeships, and 529 to Roth Distributions; New Jersey has been updated on the K-12 status board from not allow to allow based on source here by the NJ Treasury Division of Taxation

• Dates: September 29 – October 1, 2025
• Location: Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, Florida, USA
• Registration: Register here; Early Bird rate available through June 27, 2025
• Hotel Room: Book in event room block here
• Agenda: Current version here
  • Sunday, September 28: Welcome Reception
  • Monday, September 29: Day 1 – 529 Essentials Seminar
  • Tuesday, September 30: Day 2 – 529 Conference Panels, Presentations & Roundtables
  • Wednesday, October 1: Day 3 – 529 Conference Final Half Day of Panels, Presentations & Roundtables
• Event Updates:
  • Jori Horn, Head of 529 Marketing and Relationship Management, Principal Asset Management, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Product Strategy Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference panel.
  • Stan Marshall, Product Manager, Government Savings, Ascensus, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Platforms, Fintech and Emerging Trends and Opportunities” 529 Conference panel.
  • Edward Kaminski, Corporate Vice President – Business Consultant, New York Life Stable Value, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Investment Line-Up Adjustments for Market Volatility in 2025” 529 Conference panel.
  • Douglas H. Polak, CFA, CAIA, Investment Specialist, Multi-Asset Solutions, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Investment Line-Up Adjustments for Market Volatility in 2025” 529 Conference panel.
  • Trisha Good, Executive Director, Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage, has been confirmed as a presenter on the “Product Strategy Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference panel.
  • Will Duryea, Managing Principal/Consultant, Meketa Investment Group, has been confirmed as moderator of “Investment Line-Up Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference panel.
  • Thank you Goldman Sachs for the Charging Station Sponsorship

Please forward the e-newsletter to a friend 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.