Savingforcollege.com Releases Q2 529 Plan Performance Rankings

Pittsford, NY, August 28, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The DC 529 College Savings Program placed first among all direct-sold 529 plans in one-year investment performance as of June 30, 2013, according to Savingforcollege.com's newly-released 529 Plan Composite Performance Rankings. The DC plan, managed by Calvert Investments and available on a load-waived basis to residents of the District of Columbia, also scored well for three-year investment performance (seventh place).

Alaska’s T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan, open to families nationwide, ranked on top for both three-year and ten-year investment performance, while Nevada's USAA 529 College Savings Plan scored best for five-year performance.

The DC 529 College Savings Program recently reached $250 million in investments, small in comparison to 529 plans in many states that have billions of dollars under management. According to the plan’s website, the DC 529 College Savings Program is “the only 529 plan in the nation that offers investors a full range of sustainable and responsible investments.”

In producing its quarterly rankings, Savingforcollege.com compares the reported investment performance of a subset of portfolios from 529 savings plans in every state. Portfolios are selected based on their mix of stocks, bonds, and money-market funds, aiming for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven different asset-allocation categories.

“Our 529 performance rankings are a popular feature on our website,” remarked Joe Hurley, founder of Savingforcollege.com. “States and their 529 program managers strive to offer competitive returns in their college savings plans.”

Hurley cautions, however, that past performance does not guarantee future returns, and that a plan currently ranking high will not necessarily outperform its peers in the future. "A number of different investment managers and investment styles are represented in our top-ten lists," he said.

The full reports showing rankings for all direct-sold 529 plans can be viewed at http://www.savingforcollege.com/articles/2013-plan-performance-rankings-q2. Savingforcollege.com also produces, for its premium subscribers, separate rankings for advisor-sold 529 plans and for RIA-channel 529 plans, along with the investment data and scoring used in all ranking reports. Rankings are updated each quarter.

One-year Composite Performance Rankings (52 plans ranked) 

1. District of Columbia: DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) (Calvert funds)
2. West Virginia: SMART529 Select (DFA funds)
3. West Virginia: SMART529 WV Direct (mostly Hartford Funds)
4. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
5. California: The ScholarShare College Savings Plan (multiple fund families)
6. Michigan: Michigan Education Savings Program (TIAA-CREF funds)
7. Maine: NextGenCollege Investing Plan - Client Direct Series (multiple fund families)
8. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
9. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
10. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)

Three-year Composite Performance Rankings (44 plans ranked)
1. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
2. Maine: NextGenCollege Investing Plan - Client Direct Series (multiple fund families)
3. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
4. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
5. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
6. South Carolina: Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) (multiple fund families)
7. District of Columbia: DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) (Calvert funds)
8. South Dakota: CollegeAccess529 (Direct-sold) (multiple fund families)
9. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
10. Michigan: Michigan Education Savings Program (TIAA-CREF funds)

Five-year Composite Performance Rankings (42 plans ranked)
1. Nevada: USAA 529 College Savings Plan (USAA funds)
2. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
3. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
4. Florida: Florida 529 Savings Plan (multiple money managers)
5. Kansas: Schwab 529 College Savings Plan (multiple fund families)
6. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
7. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
8. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
9. Michigan: Michigan Education Savings Program (TIAA-CREF funds)
10. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan (Vanguard funds)

Ten-year Composite Performance Rankings (14 plans ranked)
1. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
2. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
3. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
4. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
5. Virginia: Virginia529 inVEST (multiple managers and fund families)
6. South Carolina: Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) (multiple fund families)
7. Louisiana: START Saving Program (mostly Vanguard funds)
8. Nevada: The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan (Vanguard funds)
9. West Virginia: SMART529 WV Direct (mostly Hartford Funds)
10. Iowa: College Savings Iowa (Vanguard funds)