– 529 Insiders Article of the Week
– News & Research
– Data
– ABLE Act Column
– Events

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.

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

Reader’s Perspective: Question and Answer with Michael Taylor, Author of “The Financial Rules for New College Graduates”

• How does this author view college financial planning and 529 plans in terms of helping recent graduates survive and thrive?

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

• Axios, “The future of student debt: How employers might help.” Editor's Take: College financial planning employer benefits are on the rise. Read the article to learn which firms are at the forefront of the emerging channel.
• MPR News, “Smart money practices to save for college.” Editor's Take: Darla Kasian, financial advisor with RBC Wealth Management, provides her perspective on college financial planning in a 45-minute podcast.
• Washington Post, “U.S. student loan debt reaches a staggering $1.53 trillion.” Editor's Take: The college financial planning conversation is pivoting from push to pull as client demand solutions to this issue. Have the conversation today.
• Brookings Institute, “A review of large-scale youth financial literacy education policies and programs.” Editor's Take: The rampant increase in student loan debt is increased the importance and need for financial literacy programs to increase understanding of fundamental financial knowledge. Also, thank you Brenda of Spectra Professional Services for sharing this article with me, and much appreciated.
• Financial Advisor Magazine, “College endowments hit record values, and maybe ire of lawmakers.” Editors Take: College financial planning continues to gain coverage in key publications for advisors.

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:

• Linkedin, “‘C21 Atlanta’ serves up a night of awareness for disability employment.” Editor's Take: Thank you National Down Syndrome Society and Voya for championing the cause of equal rights for all individuals.
• Twitter, “Tweets. Media.” Editor's Take: This section provides links to live photos taken and posted over the past week by ABLE program managers, and this week includes posts by MO ABLE and STABLE Account. Thank you for building awareness through outreach which will continue to help more families to successfully use ABLE accounts.
• Recruiter's Corner, “CA ABLE Act Board – Program Analyst.” Editor's Take: CalABLE is seeking to hire a program analyst based in Sacramento, California. Click the link to learn more.
• 529 Insiders, “2Q 2018 Strategic Insight 529 and ABLE Data Highlights”

Events: Strategic Insight ABLE Summit 2019 will be held on September 25, 2019, at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, to deliver training, insight and networking opportunities to support the successful implementation and growth of ABLE accounts. Please save the date.

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

• 529 Conference: A highly interactive and educational industry gathering with the entire college financial planning ecosystem.
• 529 Essentials: A pre-conference session to train professionals on 529 plans and college 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.

Please email Paul Curley at paul.curley@strategic-i.com or direct message him on LinkedIn to inquire about having him provide a 529 or ABLE continuing education or industry landscape update presentation.

“I recommend all clients and prospects with children to open a 529 plan and will continue to do so. Also recommend to grandparents.”
– Financial Advisor working at a regional broker-dealer with over 15 years of experience that is based in Colorado; survey response from the Strategic Insight 529 Distribution Analysis 2017 Research Report

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