Savingforcollege.com Releases Q4 529 Plan Performance Rankings

Pittsford, NY, February 27, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The DC 529 College Savings Program, managed by Calvert Investment Management for the District of Columbia, placed first for one-year and three-year investment performance through December 31, 2013, according to Savingforcollege.com's newly-released 529 Plan Composite Performance Rankings for direct-sold 529 plans.

The DC plan is available on a no-load basis only to District of Columbia residents and through certain large-employers outside of DC. Other nonresidents would have to purchase the plan through a financial advisor at higher cost.

Nevada’s USAA 529 College Savings Program, which invests in USAA funds, finished first for five-year performance while the Utah Educational Savings Plan Trust won the top spot for ten-year performance. T. Rowe Price was notable for having at least one of the 529 savings plans it manages for Alaska and Maryland place among the top five performers in all four measurement periods: one year, three years, five years, and ten years.

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.

“When you look at the list of top performers, what really stands out is the diversity of investment management styles,” remarked Joe Hurley, founder of Savingforcollege.com. “You’ll see plans using higher-cost, actively-managed funds alongside the lowest-cost plans using index funds.”

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. "We see some movement in the rankings every quarter, most particularly in one-year performance," 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-q4. 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 (55 plans ranked)
1. District of Columbia: DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) (Calvert funds)
2. New Jersey: NJBEST 529 College Savings Program (mostly Franklin Templeton funds)
3. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
4. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
5. West Virginia: SMART529 WV Direct (mostly Hartford Funds)
6. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
7. Maine: NextGenCollege Investing Plan - Client Direct Series (multiple fund families)
8. West Virginia: SMART529 WV Select (DFA funds)
9. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
10. California: The ScholarShare College Savings Plan (multiple fund families)

Three-year Composite Performance Rankings (48 plans ranked)
1. District of Columbia: DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) (Calvert funds)
2. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
3. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
4. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
5. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
6. Maine: NextGenCollege Investing Plan - Client Direct Series (multiple fund families)
7. Florida: Florida 529 Savings Plan (multiple money managers)
8. New Mexico: The Education Plan’s College Savings Program (multiple fund familes)
9. Illinois: BrightStart College Savings Program – Direct-sold Plan (multiple fund families)
10. Oklahoma: Oklahoma College Savings Plan (TIAA-CREF funds)

Five-year Composite Performance Rankings (43 plans ranked)
1. Nevada: USAA 529 College Savings Plan (USAA funds)
2. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
3. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
4. Maine: NextGenCollege Investing Plan - Client Direct Series (multiple fund families)
5. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
6. District of Columbia: DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) (Calvert funds)
7. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
8. West Virginia: SMART529 WV Direct (mostly Hartford Funds)
9. South Carolina: Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) (multiple fund families)
10. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)

Ten-year Composite Performance Rankings (21 plans ranked)
1. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
2. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
3. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
4. Kansas: Schwab 529 College Savings Plan (multiple fund families)
5. New York: New York’s 529 College Savings Program – Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
6. Louisiana: START Saving Program (mostly Vanguard funds)
7. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland – College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
8. Nevada: USAA 529 College Savings Plan (USAA funds)
9. Virginia: Virginia529 inVEST (multiple managers and fund families)
10. Nevada: The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan (Vanguard funds)