529 Dash, Required Reading for Your 529 Education: 
The 529 Dash e‑newsletter helps institutions, financial professionals, employers, and families navigate education financial planning by sharing timely industry news, product insights, market data, and best practices while promoting awareness of 529 plans and ABLE accounts.

Please Read, Engage and Share.

Paul Curley, CFA
Executive Director
ISS Market Intelligence
paul.curley@issmarketintelligence.com

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

• Nerd’s Eye View, “Retaining the next gen in the “great wealth transfer”: Planning opportunities to build relationships with clients’ heirs.” Editor’s Take: Thank you to David Haughton, JD, CPWA, VP at Carson Group and former 529 Conference presenter, for highlighting the important role 529 plans play in strengthening relationships across generations. By engaging grandparents and extending planning conversations to children and grandchildren, advisors can both deepen client connections and position themselves to grow and protect their books of business. Read, learn, and grow.
• 529 Insiders, “1Q 2026 529 & ABLE market sizing highlights.” Editor’s Take: Net inflows increased from 1Q 2024 to 1Q 2025 and again to 1Q 2026, reflecting strengthening demand for education savings. This trend suggests that more families are successfully using 529 plans for their intended purpose of covering qualified education expenses even amid market and economic volatility in 2026. As utilization grows, familiarity and confidence in 529 plans continue to expand among families and their networks. This increased awareness reinforces a positive feedback loop, driving further adoption, contributions, and long-term momentum for the category. Click the link to learn more about 529 and ABLE market sizing as of March 31, 2026.
• Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, “Learn about 529 plans at free 529 Day webinar.” Editor’s Take: This webinar celebrates 30 years of 529s since launch in 1996 and builds awareness and understanding of 529s. Please register for this upcoming webinar on May 29th at 12pm EST to join Paul Curley, CFA, Executive Director at ISS Market Intelligence, and Trisha Good, Executive Director of Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage. Register today and see you there.
• The College Investor, “Federal student loan rates set to rise for the 2026-27 school year.” Editor’s Take: Starting July 1, 2026, undergraduate student loans will carry a 6.52% interest rate compared to 8.07% for graduate loans, and 9.07% for direct grad and parent PLUS loan. In turn, the importance of saving for education with 529s as a means to minimize reliance on student loans increases. Thank you Robert Farrington for creating and sharing the article, and thank you John Hupalo for noting the article. Read, plan, and save, and in turn minimize student loans.
• AKF Consulting, “The Trump IRA platform: A call-to-action for state auto-IRA programs.” Editor’s Take: Thank you AKF Consulting and Andrea Fierstein for providing an industry update, outlook and issues on the potential impact and implications of Trump Accounts (530A) and state auto-IRA programs. Though not directly 529 related, this is an important and trending topic on broader impacting municipal fund securities. Read, learn and grow, and thank you Andrea for writing and sharing.

• Date: May 29, 2026
• Time: 12pm-1pm EST
• Register: Here
• Title: 529 Day 2026: Top Trends in 529 Plans
• Description:

Hosted by Paul Curley, CFA, Executive Director at ISS Market Intelligence, and Trisha Good, Executive Director of Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage, ISS MI’s 529 webinar celebrates 30 years of 529s and builds awareness and understanding of 529s through:

• • 529 reminders, tips and best practices
  • New themes and updates on education financial planning for families
  • Key developments impacting the 529 landscape in 2026 
  • 529 market sizing, trends and insights in 2026
  • New industry intelligence from ISS MI’s annual surveys of parents, advisors, and employers
  • 529 & ABLE industry announcements and product enhancements

Whether you’re supporting families (including your own), working with employee benefit solutions, advising clients, or shaping the industry, this webinar provides practical product training, actionable best practices, and data‑driven insight into where the 529 market has been—and where it’s heading next.

• Dates: September 23–25, 2026
• Location: JW Marriott Nashville
• Register: Here; Early Bird registration rate available through June 26, 2026
• Hotel Room Block: Book Here
• Event Website: Link
• Agenda: Link
• Event Updates: 
  • Ryan White, CFP^®, CIMA^®, Senior Director | 529 Plans, Product Management, Columbia Threadneedle Investments, has been confirmed as speaker on the “National Broker-Dealer’s View on Product, Marketing and Distribution Strategies” 529 Conference session.
  • John Park, Head of College Savings | US Wealth Advisory, BlackRock, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Education Financial Planning Strategies in 2026” 529 Conference session.
  • Chuck Ranney, Wealth Management Solutions,Vice President – Mutual Funds, CEFs & 529 Plans, Ameriprise Financial, has been confirmed as speaker on the “National Broker-Dealer’s View on Product, Marketing and Distribution Strategies” 529 Conference session.
  • Risa Schulz, Executive Director, Product Development Manager and Head of 529 Business, Morgan Stanley, has been confirmed as speaker on the “National Broker-Dealer’s View on Product, Marketing and Distribution Strategies” 529 Conference session.
  • John Mitchell, Director of College Savings & Deputy Chief, Financial Products, Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Product Strategy Trends and Outlook” 529 Conference session.
  • Trisha Good, Executive Director, Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage, Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Marketing: Engaging New Audiences” 529 Conference session.
  • Tiffany Spudich, Chief Investment Officer, Capital Cities, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Investments: Differentiating Asset Classes” 529 Conference session.
  • Kay Ceserani, Managing Principal, Consultant, Meketa Investment Group, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Investment Line-Up Creation, Evaluation and Oversight” 529 Conference session.
  • John Hupalo, Founder & CEO, Invite Education, has been confirmed as moderator of the “Opportunities and Outlook in 2027 & Beyond” 529 Conference session.
  • Thank you Backpack Payments for your support of the event as a Presenting Sponsor

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