2014 Three-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. Three-year performance ranking (click here for one-year performance table, five-year performance table, and ten-year performance table): Rank State Plan Percentile 1 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 25.43 Plan Details 2 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan 25.49 Plan Details 3 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 27.23 4 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 28.24 Enroll Now 5 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 31.18 6 Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series 35.17 Enroll Now 7 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 35.76 Enroll Now 8 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 36.92 Plan Details 9 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 38.14 Plan Details 10 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 38.95 Plan Details 11 Florida Florida 529 Savings Plan 42.02 Plan Details 12 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 44.62 13 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 44.93 Plan Details 14 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 45.56 Enroll Now 15 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 46.28 Enroll Now 16 Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan 46.30 Enroll Now 17 Louisiana START Saving Program 46.45 Plan Details 18 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 46.55 Plan Details 19 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 46.63 Plan Details 20 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program 46.89 Enroll Now 21 Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program 47.85 Enroll Now 22 Iowa College Savings Iowa 49.63 Enroll Now 23 Virginia Virginia529 inVEST 50.84 Enroll Now 24 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan 51.12 Enroll Now 25 Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan 51.33 Plan Details 26 West Virginia SMART529 Select 51.84 Plan Details 27 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 52.07 Plan Details 28 Nebraska Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan 52.52 Enroll Now 29 Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan 53.03 Plan Details 30 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 53.07 Plan Details 31 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 53.07 32 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 57.46 Plan Details 33 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 59.35 Plan Details 34 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 59.36 Plan Details 35 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 61.42 Plan Details 36 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 61.77 Plan Details 37 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 62.28 Enroll Now 38 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 62.46 Enroll Now 39 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 62.62 Plan Details 40 Alabama CollegeCounts 529 Fund 62.65 Enroll Now 41 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 62.74 Enroll Now 42 North Dakota College SAVE 63.16 Enroll Now 43 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 63.24 Enroll Now 44 Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) 63.47 Enroll Now 45 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 63.53 Plan Details 46 Montana Montana Family Education Savings Program -- Investment Plan 64.67 Plan Details 47 Texas Texas College Savings Plan 66.04 Enroll Now 48 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) 70.29 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 - Nevada SSgA Upromise 529 Plan NA Plan Details - North Carolina National College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - 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. Three-year performance ranking (click here for one-year performance table, five-year performance table, and ten-year performance table): Rank State Plan Percentile 1 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 25.43 Plan Details 2 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan 25.49 Plan Details 3 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 27.23 4 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 28.24 Enroll Now 5 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 31.18 6 Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series 35.17 Enroll Now 7 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 35.76 Enroll Now 8 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 36.92 Plan Details 9 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 38.14 Plan Details 10 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 38.95 Plan Details 11 Florida Florida 529 Savings Plan 42.02 Plan Details 12 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 44.62 13 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 44.93 Plan Details 14 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 45.56 Enroll Now 15 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 46.28 Enroll Now 16 Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan 46.30 Enroll Now 17 Louisiana START Saving Program 46.45 Plan Details 18 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 46.55 Plan Details 19 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 46.63 Plan Details 20 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program 46.89 Enroll Now 21 Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program 47.85 Enroll Now 22 Iowa College Savings Iowa 49.63 Enroll Now 23 Virginia Virginia529 inVEST 50.84 Enroll Now 24 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan 51.12 Enroll Now 25 Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan 51.33 Plan Details 26 West Virginia SMART529 Select 51.84 Plan Details 27 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 52.07 Plan Details 28 Nebraska Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan 52.52 Enroll Now 29 Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan 53.03 Plan Details 30 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 53.07 Plan Details 31 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 53.07 32 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 57.46 Plan Details 33 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 59.35 Plan Details 34 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 59.36 Plan Details 35 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 61.42 Plan Details 36 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 61.77 Plan Details 37 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 62.28 Enroll Now 38 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 62.46 Enroll Now 39 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 62.62 Plan Details 40 Alabama CollegeCounts 529 Fund 62.65 Enroll Now 41 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 62.74 Enroll Now 42 North Dakota College SAVE 63.16 Enroll Now 43 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 63.24 Enroll Now 44 Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) 63.47 Enroll Now 45 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 63.53 Plan Details 46 Montana Montana Family Education Savings Program -- Investment Plan 64.67 Plan Details 47 Texas Texas College Savings Plan 66.04 Enroll Now 48 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) 70.29 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 - Nevada SSgA Upromise 529 Plan NA Plan Details - North Carolina National College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - 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.