Participants can benefit further if they live in a state that offers a tax deduction or credit for contributions to a 529 plan. The national average for savings account interest rates was … FDIC-insured certificates of deposit and a high-yield savings account from College Savings Bank, a Division of NexBank. You can even fund your own educational expenses this way. All Rights Reserved. These credits can’t be used for room and board and aren’t available for primary and secondary schools. However, you won’t get a state tax deduction for a state where you don’t pay taxes. Many states also allow residents who enroll in one of their 529 plans to deduct contributions from their state taxable income. Fixed-rate CDs earn interest at the rate posted at the time of purchase, and posted rates may change at any time. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. The average expense ratio for a direct-sold, passively managed, age-based track investment in 2019 was under 0.5%. Twelve of the portfolios invest in Vanguard funds. The first step in saving for your kid’s education is to save for your own retirement. If you feel you can do better, most plans have a variety of funds ranging from aggressive growth to conservative allocations. You have been successfully subscribed to our email list. The law also limits a maximum payout of $10,000 annually without incurring a penalty. Plum says you should evaluate any 529 plan investment options just as you would a mutual fund. And a 529 plan works only for eligible schools, in practice almost any reputable institution, so it won’t offer any advantage for other schools. The Principal Plus Interest Option is provided through a funding agreement with TIAA-CREF Life. 529 plans. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The Interest Accumulation Portfolio invests 100% in the Vanguard Short-Term Reserves Account. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Select among 6 multi-fund options, one single fund option and a guaranteed option. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company resets the annual rate of return for the plan each January 1, and CollegeInvest makes the upcoming year's rate of return available the December before the rate is reset. how we make money. Vanguard LifeStrategy funds (in the Age-Based Option), the Louisiana State Treasurer's fund, and Vanguard Index Funds. Direct-sold plans, which are dominated by index funds, tend to be the cheapest. If you’re using a 529 plan for K-12 private education, your qualified expenses are much more limited. Five-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last five years. Select among 6 multi-fund portfolios (Aggressive Growth, Growth, Moderate Growth, Conservative Growth, Income, and Conservative Income) and 8 individual-fund portfolios. A state-sponsored, tax-free 529 college savings plans might be exactly what you need. Mutual funds and separately-managed accounts from Vanguard, Rothschild Asset Management, Franklin Templeton, INVESCO, American Funds, Capital Research and Management, DFA, Parnassus, PGIM, Aberdeen Asset Management, and Stone Harbor Investment Partners. BlackRock, Vanguard, Loomis Sayles, JP Morgan, Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), Schwab, and Ameritas Life.