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:

• Franklin Templeton, “Five things families should know about the FAFSA.” Editor’s Take: Thank you Bill Cass for creating and sharing this article on important things families should know about the financial aid process, and for the article on what families need to know about Trump Accounts (section 530A) here. Both of these trending topics have areas that families and industry stakeholders should keep track of. Therefore, read, learn and grow and appreciate all that you and the team do at Franklin Templeton for families.
• University of Alaska, “Anchorage kindergartner wins $25,000 Alaska 529 Scholarship Account Giveaway.” Editor’s Take: Congrats and thank you Alaska 529 on providing five-year old Ava with a $25,000 head start on her path to college and career training. Touching story that reminds all of us in the 529 industry why we work in the industry, and we appreciate you sharing the story Lael Oldmixon and the Alaska 529 team.
• Backpack, “ISTS and Backpack partner on scholarship payment solutions.” Editor’s Take: Congrats to ISTS and Backpack on the partnership that creates a synergy between scholarship administration and payments. Together, they will help families receive and use awards more efficiently and therefore with less stress while also providing scholarship providers with improved efficiency, oversight and transparency. Stay up to date on the latest developments by reading the article. 
• Psychohistory, “Why do older people have most of the money.” Editor’s Take: Personal finance blog aside, the article reiterates the importance of 529 product providers and distributors in engaging grandparents in the education and career training planning process for their grandchildren. Not only does the conversation support intergenerational wealth planning and estate planning, but also provides an opportunity to engage (as noted in the article) those with above average levels of assets. Also, the article highlights the importance of compound growth, which can be directly parlayed to 529s as well. For those interested in blog style write-ups, have a look. If more interested in demographics of those with student loans, click through the article to U.S. Census article on Wealth, Asset Ownership & Debt of Households.
• 529 Insiders, “3Q 2026 529 & ABLE market sizing highlights.” Editor’s Take: More than 18 million 529 accounts and over 280 thousand ABLE accounts were open and funded as of Septher 30, 2026. Review the latest market-sizing data, industry trends, and key insights, and feel free to share the report with your network.
• Morningstar, “Morningstar 529 Ratings: The Best Plans of 2026.” Editor’s Take: In addition to the ratings article, Morningstar also released their guide to 529 plans here. Thank you Jason Kephart and Hyumin Kim for raising awareness and understanding of 529s.

Save the Date Information:

• Dates: September 15–17, 2027
• Location: JW Marriott Nashville

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