Savingforcollege.com Rankings Show New York, Alaska, and Utah as Best-Performing 529 Plans

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Our system distills data from nearly 100 plans to provide an objective set of rankings

Pittsford, New York (PRWEB) June 11, 2012

Savingforcollege.com, the leading independent authority on Section 529 college-savings plans, has released its first quarter 2012 plan performance rankings, showing 529 plans in New York, Alaska, and Utah as having delivered the best investment performance among direct-sold 529 plans through March 31, 2012 for the prior one-, three-, and five-year periods, respectively.

New York and Utah utilize Vanguard funds in their 529 investment portfolios, while Alaska's 529 plan is comprised of T. Rowe Price funds. Several other fund companies are represented among the other Top-10 performers shown below.

In producing its quarterly rankings, Savingforcollege.com compares the reported investment performance of a subset of portfolios from the 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.

"Comparing the historical investment performance of competing 529 plans is something that few investors have time to do on their own," says Joseph Hurley, founder and CEO of JFH Innovative LLC, which owns Savingforcollege.com. "Our system distills data from nearly 100 plans to provide an objective set of rankings," he says.

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. "Our rankings have shown significant movement over the years."

The full reports showing one-year and three-year rankings for all direct-sold 529 plans can be viewed at http://www.savingforcollege.com/articles/2012-plan-performance-rankings-q1. Savingforcollege.com also produces rankings for advisor-sold 529 plans along with all underlying investment data, available through a subscription. Rankings are updated each quarter.

One-year Composite Performance Rankings (49 plans ranked)
1. New York: New York's 529 College Savings Program--Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
2. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan (Vanguard funds)
3. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
4. Michigan: Michigan Education Savings Program (TIAA-CREF funds)
5. Illinois: Bright Start College Savings Program--Direct-sold Plan (mostly OppenheimerFunds)
6. Iowa: College Savings Iowa (Vanguard funds)
7. Vermont: Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan (mostly TIAA-CREF funds)
8. New Mexico: The Education Plan's College Savings Program (mostly OppenheimerFunds)
9. Oklahoma: Oklahoma College Savings Plan (TIAA-CREF funds)
10. Georgia: Path2College 529 Plan (TIAA-CREF funds)

Three-year Composite Performance Rankings (43 plans ranked)
1. Alaska: T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
2. Alaska: University of Alaska college Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
3. Maryland: College Savings Plans of Maryland--College Investment Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
4. Maine: NextGen College Investing Plan--Client Direct Series (multiple fund families)
5. Virginia: Virginia Education Savings Trust (multiple fund families)
6. Michigan: Michigan Education Savings Program (TIAA-CREF funds)
7. New York: New York's 529 College Savings Program--Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
8. District of Columbia: DC 529 College Savings Program (Calvert funds)
9. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
10. Rhode Island: CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) (mostly AllianceBernstein)

Five-year Composite Performance Rankings (37 plans ranked)
1. Utah: Utah Educational Savings Plan (USEP) Trust (mostly Vanguard funds)
2. Kansas: Schwab 529 College Savings Plan (multiple fund families)
3. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan (Vanguard funds)
4. New York: New York's 529 College Savings Program--Direct Plan (Vanguard funds)
5. Wisconsin: EdVest (mostly Wells Fargo funds)
6. Ohio: Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan (mostly Vanguard funds)
7. Nevada: The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan (Vanguard funds)
8. Alaska: University of Alaska College Savings Plan (T. Rowe Price funds)
9. Michigan: Michigan Education Savings Program (TIAA-CREF funds)
10. Iowa: College Savings Iowa (Vanguard funds)

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