2014 Five-year Top Performing Direct Plans Q3

Savingforcollege.com ranks the performance of direct-sold 529 plans. Direct-sold plans are those that consumers can enroll in without using a broker. We have prepared both one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. We selected portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds and money market funds, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven asset-allocation categories. The lower the "percentile," the better the ranking. This ranking could be a useful tool for you when selecting which direct 529 plan might be right for you. Here are our 529 performance rankings as of September 30, 2014 for Direct-sold 529 plans. Five-year performance ranking (click here for one-year performance table and three-year performance table, and ten-year performance table): Rank State Plan Percentile 1 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 25.04 Plan Details 2 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 28.17 3 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 28.48 4 Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series 31.27 Enroll Now 5 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 34.25 Plan Details 6 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 34.57 Enroll Now 7 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 35.23 Plan Details 8 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 35.38 Plan Details 9 Florida Florida 529 Savings Plan 38.27 Plan Details 10 Louisiana START Saving Program 38.48 Plan Details 11 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 39.63 Enroll Now 12 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 40.63 Plan Details 13 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 42.18 Enroll Now 14 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan 42.29 Plan Details 15 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 42.75 Plan Details 16 Iowa College Savings Iowa 43.67 Enroll Now 17 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 44.11 Plan Details 18 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 44.34 Plan Details 19 Virginia Virginia529 inVEST 44.88 Enroll Now 20 Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan 45.68 Enroll Now 21 Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program 45.72 Enroll Now 22 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 48.42 Enroll Now 23 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 50.33 24 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 50.54 Plan Details 25 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 51.66 Plan Details 26 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 51.95 27 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 52.43 Plan Details 28 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 54.60 Plan Details 29 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan 55.05 Enroll Now 30 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 55.51 Plan Details 31 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program 56.53 Enroll Now 32 North Dakota College SAVE 58.62 Enroll Now 33 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 60.07 Plan Details 34 West Virginia SMART529 Select 60.43 Plan Details 35 Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) 61.05 Enroll Now 36 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 61.24 Plan Details 37 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 61.40 Plan Details 38 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 61.89 Enroll Now 39 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 62.39 Enroll Now 40 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 62.40 Enroll Now 41 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 62.93 Enroll Now 42 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) 66.02 Enroll Now 43 Texas Texas College Savings Plan 69.20 Enroll Now - Alabama CollegeCounts 529 Fund NA Enroll Now - California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Georgia Path2College 529 Plan NA Enroll Now - Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program NA Plan Details - Montana Montana Family Education Savings Program -- Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Nebraska Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Nevada SSgA Upromise 529 Plan NA Plan Details - North Carolina National College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Tennessee TNStars College Savings 529 Program NA Plan Details - Wisconsin Edvest NA Plan Details NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least one portfolio with sufficiently-long performance in a minimum of four asset allocation categories under our ranking model. The Savingforcollege.com plan composite rankings are derived using the plans' relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories. The asset-allocation categories used are: 100 percent equity, 80 percent equity, 60 percent equity, 40 percent equity, 20 percent equity, 100 percent fixed and 100 percent short term. The plan composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in the seven categories. The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan. Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public. Disclaimer: Saving For College, LLC shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures. For broker-sold plan rankings, click here. Savingforcollege.com ranks the performance of direct-sold 529 plans. Direct-sold plans are those that consumers can enroll in without using a broker. We have prepared both one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. We selected portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds and money market funds, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven asset-allocation categories. The lower the "percentile," the better the ranking. This ranking could be a useful tool for you when selecting which direct 529 plan might be right for you. Here are our 529 performance rankings as of September 30, 2014 for Direct-sold 529 plans. Five-year performance ranking (click here for one-year performance table and three-year performance table, and ten-year performance table): Rank State Plan Percentile 1 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 25.04 Plan Details 2 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 28.17 3 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 28.48 4 Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series 31.27 Enroll Now 5 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 34.25 Plan Details 6 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 34.57 Enroll Now 7 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 35.23 Plan Details 8 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 35.38 Plan Details 9 Florida Florida 529 Savings Plan 38.27 Plan Details 10 Louisiana START Saving Program 38.48 Plan Details 11 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 39.63 Enroll Now 12 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 40.63 Plan Details 13 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 42.18 Enroll Now 14 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan 42.29 Plan Details 15 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 42.75 Plan Details 16 Iowa College Savings Iowa 43.67 Enroll Now 17 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 44.11 Plan Details 18 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 44.34 Plan Details 19 Virginia Virginia529 inVEST 44.88 Enroll Now 20 Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan 45.68 Enroll Now 21 Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program 45.72 Enroll Now 22 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 48.42 Enroll Now 23 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 50.33 24 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 50.54 Plan Details 25 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 51.66 Plan Details 26 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 51.95 27 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 52.43 Plan Details 28 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 54.60 Plan Details 29 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan 55.05 Enroll Now 30 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 55.51 Plan Details 31 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program 56.53 Enroll Now 32 North Dakota College SAVE 58.62 Enroll Now 33 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 60.07 Plan Details 34 West Virginia SMART529 Select 60.43 Plan Details 35 Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) 61.05 Enroll Now 36 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 61.24 Plan Details 37 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 61.40 Plan Details 38 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 61.89 Enroll Now 39 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 62.39 Enroll Now 40 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 62.40 Enroll Now 41 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 62.93 Enroll Now 42 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) 66.02 Enroll Now 43 Texas Texas College Savings Plan 69.20 Enroll Now - Alabama CollegeCounts 529 Fund NA Enroll Now - California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Georgia Path2College 529 Plan NA Enroll Now - Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program NA Plan Details - Montana Montana Family Education Savings Program -- Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Nebraska Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Nevada SSgA Upromise 529 Plan NA Plan Details - North Carolina National College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Tennessee TNStars College Savings 529 Program NA Plan Details - Wisconsin Edvest NA Plan Details NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least one portfolio with sufficiently-long performance in a minimum of four asset allocation categories under our ranking model. The Savingforcollege.com plan composite rankings are derived using the plans' relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories. The asset-allocation categories used are: 100 percent equity, 80 percent equity, 60 percent equity, 40 percent equity, 20 percent equity, 100 percent fixed and 100 percent short term. The plan composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in the seven categories. The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan. Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public. Disclaimer: Saving For College, LLC shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures. For broker-sold plan rankings, click here.