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Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold)
South Carolina
South Carolina's Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold), available on a direct basis only to those who meet certain South Carolina residency requirements, features a menu of age-based and static portfolio options utilizing Columbia and Vanguard funds. Accounts can be linked to the Upromise rewards service.
5-Cap Rating
| Resident: |  |
|---|---|
| Non-Resident: | 
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Savingforcollege.com's 5-Cap Ratings provides an evaluation and comparison of 529 plans, utilizing a formula that examines dozens of factors grouped into the following categories. (Scale 0 to 5; 5 is highest)
| Performance | Costs | Features | Reliability | Resident Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.29 | 5.04 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 0.50 |
General
Did you know?
Residents are not limited to investing in their own state's plan. Another state may offer a plan that performs better and has lower fees. If there is no tax break offered for in-state investors ... shop around!
Also, the plan chosen does not affect which state the student enrolls in. An investor can live in NY, invest in a plan from NV and send a student to college in FL.
Program type:
Savings
Telephone:
1-888-244-5674
Web site:
How to enroll:
Enroll directly with the program.
Initial year of operation:
2002
State agency(ies):
Office of the State Treasurer
Program manager:
Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc.
Program distributor:
Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc.
Manager contract term:
Premium subscription required for this data.
Eligibility
State residency requirements:
The account owner or beneficiary must be a resident of South Carolina, or an employee of the State of South Carolina, at the time of program enrollment.
Who can be a participant/owner in the program?
U.S. citizens and resident aliens and UGMA/UTMA custodians. The Treasurer and Program Manager may permit other persons and legal entities to open accounts.
Significant time or age restrictions imposed by the program:
None
Contributions
Maximum contributions:
Accepts contributions until all account balances in South Carolina's 529 plans for the same beneficiary reach $318,000.
Minimum contributions:
None
Investment Options
Age-based investment options:
The Age-Based Portfolios option is offered in 3 different risk levels (Aggressive, Moderate, and Conservative) each containing 6 portfolios of underlying mutual funds. Contributions are placed into the portfolio corresponding to the risk level selected and based on the age of the beneficiary, and later reassigned to more conservative portfolios as the beneficiary approaches college age.
Static investment options:
Select among 7 Target Allocation portfolios (Aggressive Growth, Growth, Moderate Growth, Moderate, Moderately Conservative, Conservative and College),7 individual-fund index portfolios, a short-term bond fund, a money market fund, and a bank deposit account.
Underlying investments:
Columbia mutual funds, Vanguard funds, iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund, and a BB&T bank deposit account.
Underlying fund allocations:
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Investment performance link:
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Portfolio Fees & Performance Lookup
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Fees & Expenses
Enrollment or application fee:
None.
Account maintenance fee:
None.
Program management fees:
None
Expenses of the underlying investments:
Ranges from 0.08% to 0.18% (portfolio weighted average) in the aged-based and target allocation portfolios, and from 0.05% to 0.25% in the individual-fund portfolios.
Total asset-based expense ratio:
0.05% - 0.25%
Taxes and other Benefits
Program match on contributions:
None.
State tax deduction or credit for contributions:
Contributions, including rollover contributions, to a South Carolina 529 plan are fully deductible in computing South Carolina taxable income. Contribution deadline: April 15 of the following year.
Value of in-state tax benefits:
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State tax recapture provisions:
The principal portion of nonqualified withdrawals from this plan are included in South Carolina taxable income to the extent of prior South Carolina tax deductions. Rollovers apparently are not subject to recapture.
State tax treatment of qualified distributions:
Qualified distributions from South Carolina and non-South Carolina 529 plans are exempt.
State tax treatment of rollovers:
South Carolina follows federal tax-free treatment.
Does the sponsoring state exclude the value of an account for state financial aid purposes?
No
Does participation in the program provide beneficiaries with any advantages in qualifying for resident tuition status at state institutions?
No
Does the program have a formal agreement with a rewards program or outside scholarship program?
No
Statutory protection of an account from creditors:
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Distributions & Terminations
To whom are distributions made payable:
Eligible educational institution, beneficiary, beneficiary and institution jointly, or account owner, as directed by the account owner.
Account Changes
Policy regarding participant/owner changes:
Accepts requests to transfer account ownership.
Documents, Access & Reporting
Does participant have online password-protected access to account?
Yes
Can the complete enrollment process including funding be done online?
Yes
Documents and other services accessible or downloadable on the program's public Web site:
Premium subscription required for this data.
State News
- South Carolina Releases Revised 529 Plans (10/01/2012)
- South Carolina to stay with Columbia as 529 manager (07/23/2012)
- South Carolina seeking bidders to manage 529 programs (11/23/2011)
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