– News
– Research
– Data
– Events
– Presentations
– ABLE Act Column

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. Building upon the product training and trends will be our editorial insight, market data and research. Also, the 529 Dash will provide opportunities for you to learn from and network with your peers based on real life case studies and forums such as the Strategic Insight 529 Dash LinkedIn Group. By reviewing these success stories on college financial planning from your peers of advisers, accountants and estate planners, the barriers to supporting your clients and building your book of business will be reduced.

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
LinkedIn: Strategic Insight 529 Dash LinkedIn Group

Here is what you need to know from stories released this week.

– Federal Reserve Bank of New York, “2017 Press Briefing: Household borrowing, student debt trends and homeownership.” Editor’s Take: The Webcast and PPT provide a wealth of information on college financial planning, college affordability, and college accessibility. Student loan debt levels continue to increase, and repayment rates are slowing down.
– Washington Post, “How to decipher financial aid offers from colleges”
– MF Advisers, “Teacher Appreciation Week & 529 Day.” Editor’s Take: Thank you Martin Federici for expanding awareness of 529s and helping your clients with college financial planning, and read our interview with Martin in the 529 Insiders here.
– LearnVest, “Will My Partner’s Student Loan Debt Tear Us Apart?” Editor’s Take: The frequency of stories about student loan debt impacting life beyond finances have increased. In turn, the value of college financial planning continues to increase and have a greater and greater impact on life beyond the numbers. Have the college financial planning discussion today.
– Webinar, “Corporate 529 Plans – Campaign for Next Generation Employees” on May 5th featuring Winnie Sun, Managing Director & Founding Partner of Sun Group Wealth Partners. Editor’s Take: Join Winnie Sun and I on the #WinnieSun Twitter Chat on Wednesdays at 2pm ET.
– Seacoast Online, “529 Plan rule changes benefit college savers” by David Mayes, CFP, EA. Editor’s Take: An example of how an adviser can build their book of business through college financial planning content. Take the next step as well by writing an article for your local publication today.

Here is what you need to know from data and research released this week.

– 3.5 million college students are over the age of 30. Editor’s Take: 529s can be used for mid-career retraining such as graduate schools, and the 3.5 million represents an opportunity for you and your clients.
– 27% of parents have taken out money from their retirement accounts to pay for student loans. While 13% report that it was for their own loans, 10% were from their children’s loans and 4% were for both the parent and the child.
– 19% of Millennial parents report education for their children as their top savings priority, which ranks it as the highest priority goal above retirement with 15% and purchase of a home with 13%. While Millennial parents that are saving for their children’s education save $310 per month on average, grandparents save $205 on average.
– 1% of student loan borrowers owe over $200,000, and they owe approximately 11% of the $1.3 trillion outstanding in student loan debt as of 2016.

Here is the latest market data by Strategic Insight that can be used by the media and other organizations, and contact Strategic Insight for more information and commentary on its proprietary data, research, events and digital publications.

December 2016 Quarterly 529 Market Sizing Data
– 13.1 million accounts invested $275 billion in assets in 529 savings and prepaid plans
– 12.0 million accounts invested $252 billion in assets in 529 savings plans
– 1.1 million accounts invested $23 billion in assets in 529 prepaid plans
– 4,064 accounts invested $14 million in assets in ABLE (529A) accounts

This section provides a list of upcoming live presentations and webcasts, and please contact Paul Curley at paul.curley@strategic-i.com if you are seeking a speaker for an upcoming event.

Upcoming:
– NAPFA, “Everything you wanted to know about 529 plans (Using them with holistic fee-only planning)” by Paul Curley, CFA, in Edina, Minnesota, on May 9th from 5pm to 7pm. This in-person live continuing education presentation is designed for advisors, but the general public is welcome. Register here.

When: September 11-13, 2017
Where: JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes
Overview: The 529 Conference is a highly interactive and educational industry gathering where you’ll meet and network with the entire 529 ecosystem. Using a 360-degree perspective, the conference drills down into the most significant trends and challenges facing the industry today and includes critical conversation and debate surrounding the latest legislative developments, product innovations, investment options, distribution strategies, marketing initiatives, consumer trends, regulatory announcements and much more.

Optional sessions are available in conjunction with the 529 Conference to offer attendees additional education and training. The pre-conference ‘Essentials Seminar’ provides an understanding of the granular details of 529 plans in a constantly evolving market, and the post-conference ‘ABLE Session’ provides insight and networking into successfully implementing ABLE accounts.

529 Conference Agenda Updates:
– Registration for the event is now open.

This section will cover this week’s top legislative updates, product developments, news and resources relating to ABLE accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings accounts for certain individuals with disabilities and their families. After-tax contributions grow tax deferred, and distributions from the accounts are tax exempt when used for qualified expenses.

News, Research & Resources:
– Whitepaper by University of Southern California (USC) Masters of Public Administration Class of 2017, “California ABLE – A comprehensive analysis and recommendations for a prosperous future”
– MO ABLE program opened for enrollment on April 24th, and has been added to the “List of Open Programs” on the 529 Insiders website
– 529 Insiders, “Editor’s Letter: ABLE Act Update, 2017 NDSS Buddy Walk® on Washington and How to Justify Your Fee as an Adviser”
– 529 Insiders, “529 Essentials: 529 Plans & ABLE Accounts.” Editor’s Take: Primer on ABLE for those that typically cover 529 plans.
Data: 
– Strategic Insight: 4,064 accounts invested $14 million in assets in ABLE accounts as of December 31, 2016.
Events:

– Strategic Insight ABLE Summit 2017 on September 13, 2017 at the JW Marriott, Orlando Grande Lakes

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