Ultimate College Guide 2005
Best 529s
MONEY's picks for the top plans.
From the August 2005 issue of MONEY Magazine

  • Build an A+ college savings plan
  • Tips for choosing a 529 plan
  • The 529 alternatives
    • NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) -- A state 529 college savings plan is best described as a 401(k) for college, a simple plan that lets you put aside money regularly, invest in mutual funds and watch the earnings grow tax-free.

    In the table below you can see MONEY's picks for best plans overall and for in-state residents. Listed are the three things you need to know about each plan: Do I get a tax break? Where can I buy it? and What are the expenses?

    For more on how much you can contribute and how to go about choosing a plan, see "Tips for choosing a 529 plan."

    You can also view MONEY's state-by-state listing of all 529 plans.
    MONEY'S PICKS ALL STATE PLANS
      STATE TAX
    WRITE-OFF?    		 BUY FROM...
    (SALES LOAD)    		 EXPENSE
    RATIO
    recommended nationallyrecommended nationally
    IOWA
    College Savings Iowarecommended nationally
    Vanguard
    collegesavingsiowa.com 888-672-9116    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.65
    MICHIGAN
    Michigan Education Savings Programrecommended nationally
    TIAA-CREF
    misaves.com 877-861-6377    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.652
    NEVADA
    Vanguard 529 College Savings Planrecommended nationally
    Vanguard/Upromise
    vanguard.com 866-734-4530    		 no state tax plan only (no load) 0.60 to 0.81
    NEW YORK
    New York's 529 College Savings Program Direct Planrecommended nationally
    Vanguard
    nysaves.org 877-697-2837    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.58
    UTAH
    Utah Educational Savings Planrecommended nationally
    Utah Higher Ed. Assist. Auth./Vanguard
    uesp.org 800-418-2551    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.25 to 0.40
    recommended for staterecommended for state
    ARKANSAS
    GIFT College Investing Planrecommended for state
    Vanguard/Upromise
    thegiftplan.com 800-587-7301    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.85
    COLORADO
    CollegeInvest Direct Portfolio College Savings Planrecommended for state
    Vanguard/Upromise
    collegeinvest.org 800-997-4295    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.75
    GEORGIA
    Georgia Higher Education Savings Planrecommended for state
    TIAA-CREF
    gacollegesavings.com 877-424-4377    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.85
    IDAHO
    Idaho College Savings Programrecommended for state
    TIAA-CREF
    idsaves.org 866-433-2533    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.81 to 0.85
    LOUISIANA
    START Saving Programrecommended for state
    Vanguard
    startsaving.la.gov 800-259-5626    		 yes plan only1 (no load) 0.15 to 0.28
    MARYLAND
    Maryland College Investment Planrecommended for state
    T. Rowe Price
    collegesavingsmd.org 888-463-4723    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.84 to 1.09
    MISSISSIPPI
    Mississippi Affordable College Savings Programrecommended for state
    TIAA-CREF
    collegesavingsms.com 800-486-3670    		 yes plan (no load)
    broker (5.00)    		 0.70 to 0.90
    MISSOURI
    Missouri Saving for Tuitionrecommended for state
    TIAA-CREF
    missourimost.org 888-414-6678    		 yes plan (no load)
    broker (5.00)    		 0.65
    NEW MEXICO
    The Education Planrecommended for state
    OppenheimerFunds
    theeducationplan.com 877-337-5268    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.80 to 0.95
    OHIO
    CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Planrecommended for state
    Putnam Investments/Vanguard
    collegeadvantage.com 800-233-6734    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.35 to 1.42
    OKLAHOMA
    Oklahoma College Savings Planrecommended for state
    TIAA-CREF
    ok4saving.org 877-654-7284    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.75 to 0.77
    SOUTH CAROLINA
    Future Scholarrecommended for state
    Banc of America Capital Management
    futurescholar.com 888-244-5674    		 yes plan1 (no load)
    broker (5.75)    		 0.30 to 2.60
    VIRGINIA
    Virginia Education Savings Trustrecommended for state
    VEST Investment Advisory Committee
    virginia529.com 888-567-0540    		 yes plan only (no load) 0.85 to 1.00
    WISCONSIN
    EdVestrecommended for state
    Wells Fargo Funds Management
    edvest.com 888-338-3789    		 yes plan (no load)
    broker (5.75)    		 0.35 to 1.12
    Notes: Expense ratios encompass all fund options, plus any management or administrative fees; other fees may apply.
    1 Available to state residents only. 2 Scheduled to drop to 0.60 percent.
    Sources: The states, Savingforcollege.com.
    recommended for staterecommended for state     recommended nationallyrecommended nationally

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    Contact Us Closed Captioning Manage Cookies+ Site Map

    Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.

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