– News & Research
– Data
– ABLE Act Column
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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
Editor-in-Chief of 529 Dash
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:

• Alabama Office of State Treasurer, “529 Program Manager Services – CollegeCounts Program.” Editor's Take: On March 11, 2019, the State Treasurer of Alabama released a request for proposal (RFP) for a program manager of the state’s direct- and advisor-sold 529 savings plan programs. Read the article to learn more about deadlines and requirements.
• 529 Insiders, “Status Board: K-12 State Updates.” Editor's Take: Maine and Connecticut have been updated on the status board from pending to “Allow K-12 Withdrawals State Tax-Fee.” Strategic Insight will continue to monitor the industry landscape, make updates to the status board in the 529 Insiders and report the updates in the 529 Dash.
• Rockstar Finance, “Get off the treadmill!” Editor's Take: The article highlights the long-term decrease in overall savings rates worldwide, which also decreases the ability of families to save and save efficiently for higher education. This showcases the importance of financial advisers in helping clients to create a college financial planning strategy, and executing it throughout all market cycles. Have the college financial planning conversation today with your clients.
• InvestmentNews, “529 plans also miss the boat when it comes to ESG.” Editor's Take: The acquisition of Strategic Insight by Institutional Shareholder Services is leading to new conversations about how our clients approach ESG funds. Thank you InvestmentNews for quoting and sourcing Paul Curley of Strategic Insight in the article.
• SSgA Upromise 529, “Education Savings Conversation.” Editor's Take: The 30 slide deck provides an overview of 529s and college financial planning. Read the article to add to your story board conversations with clients today.
• Wealthy Nickel, “6 personal finance metrics You Can’t Afford Not to Track

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:

• Ripon Advance, “McMorris Rodgers seeks higher eligibility age for ABLE accounts.” Editor's Take: The ABLE Age Adjustment Act was reintroduced, and would raise the age of onset requirement for eligibility from 26 years old to 46 years old.
• World Down Syndrome Day, “Join us on 21 March 2019.” Editor's Take: March 21st was World National Down Syndrome Day, and thank you for celebrating to raise awareness on this important issue.

Save the Date: Strategic Insight 529 Conference 2019 will be held from September 23-25, 2019, at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida. Sessions:

• 529 Conference: A highly interactive and educational industry gathering with the entire education financial planning ecosystem.
• 529 Essentials: A pre-conference session to train professionals on 529 plans and education financial planning in a constantly evolving market.
• ABLE Summit: A post-conference session to deliver training, insight and networking opportunities to support the successful implementation and growth of ABLE accounts.

“The (529) investment lineups are becoming more diverse, and the industry recognizes and realizes (that) the target market and demographic is shifting.” – Paul Curley, Director of College Savings Research at Strategic Insight
– InvestmentNews, “529 plans also miss the boat when it comes to ESG” on March 16, 2019 by Jeff Benjamin

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