COLLEGE SAVINGS 101
Ashlea Ebeling, Forbes Media LLC

Ashlea Ebeling covers personal finance for Forbes Media LLC. She helps consumers navigate tax-advantaged workplace benefits, college savings and retirement accounts, tax and estate planning and philanthropy. Follow her stories at Forbes.com or Twitter.
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Top 529 College Savings Plans
One-year rankings are based on a plan's average investment returns over the last 12 months.
State | Plan Name | |
---|---|---|
1 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
2 | Louisiana | START Saving Program |
3 | Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
Three-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last three years.
State | Plan Name | |
---|---|---|
1 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan |
2 | Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
3 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
Five-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last five years
State | Plan Name | |
---|---|---|
1 | Ohio | Ohio's 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage |
2 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
3 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan |
10-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last ten years.
State | Plan Name | |
---|---|---|
1 | Ohio | Ohio's 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage |
2 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan |
3 | Delaware | Delaware College Investment Plan |