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2009 plan performance rankings Q3
Each quarter Savingforcollege.com analyzes the investment performance figures for thousands of 529 portfolios and ranks the 529 savings plans from best to worst for one-year investment performance, for three-year investment performance and for five-year investment performance.
The top performing 529 plans
In producing our rankings, we compared the reported investment performance of a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. The lower the "percentile" the better the ranking. For more details on our methodology click here.
We ranked plans that consumers can enroll in directly (see below), as well as those sold through brokers (click here).
These rankings are for periods ended Sept. 30, 2009
One-year performance ranking
Updated Nov. 17, 2009
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | USAA College Savings Plan | 15.27 |
| 2 | Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan | 26.26 |
| 3 | Alabama | Higher Education 529 Fund (Direct-sold) | 26.83 |
| 4 | Montana | Pacific Life Funds 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) MT | 28.89 |
| 5 | Maryland | College Savings Plans of Maryland - College Investment Plan | 29.35 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative R) | 32.69 |
| 7 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 35.42 |
| 8 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | 37.65 |
| 9 | New Jersey | NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan | 37.91 |
| 10 | Missouri | MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 38.09 |
See the full list of one-year direct-sold rankings.
Three-year performance ranking
Updated Nov. 17, 2009
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan | 21.62 |
| 2 | Nevada | USAA College Savings Plan | 25.92 |
| 3 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 27.29 |
| 4 | Maryland | College Savings Plans of Maryland - College Investment Plan | 34.11 |
| 5 | Missouri | MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 35.53 |
| 6 | Montana | Pacific Life Funds 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) MT | 36.72 |
| 7 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | 36.95 |
| 8 | Utah | Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust | 37.54 |
| 9 | Ohio | Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan | 37.59 |
| 10 | Arkansas | GIFT College Investing Plan | 37.65 |
See the full list of three-year direct-sold rankings.
Five-year performance ranking
Updated Nov. 17, 2009
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan | 27.28 |
| 2 | Maryland | College Savings Plans of Maryland - College Investment Plan | 29.22 |
| 3 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 31.87 |
| 4 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 33.91 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative R) | 35.18 |
| 6 | Nebraska | College Savings Plan of Nebraska (Direct-sold) | 36.74 |
| 7 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 37.30 |
| 8 | Utah | Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust | 37.94 |
| 9 | Nevada | USAA College Savings Plan | 38.25 |
| 10 | Montana | Pacific Life Funds 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) MT | 39.09 |
See the full list of five-year direct-sold rankings.
For broker sold plan rankings, click here.
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