General Information

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College SAVE (Direct)

North Dakota's College SAVE, managed by Ascensus College Savings, offers 9 investment options: three age-based options and six individual portfolios managed by Vanguard. Accounts can be linked to the Upromise rewards service.

Our Ratingx

3.5 of 5

Fee Scorex

2.5 of 5
2.5 of 5

Performancex

4 of 5
4 of 5
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  • Program typeSavings
  • Inception2001, but substantially changed in November 2006
  • State agency
    Bank of North Dakota
  • Tax deduction
  • Program Manager
    Ascensus College Savings
  • Program distributor
    Ascensus College Savings
Plan Details
Investment Options

Investors in College SAVE (Direct) can select from the following investment options. Click on a portfolio name for more information.

Use the form below to filter through the investment options in this plan

Child age


Max Expense Ratio:2.5%

Age Based Investment Options

Sometimes referred to as the enrollment-based option, this is an investment approach where your asset allocation is programmed to change over time. Accounts for young beneficiaries are invested aggressively and accounts for beneficiaries with college right around the corner are invested much more conservatively. In some 529 plans, the age-based option operates by automatically transferring your investment from one static portfolio to another at certain points in time. Others utilize lifecycle funds or employ lifecycle-type tactics within the portfolio containing your investment so that it is not necessary to transfer your investment between portfolios.

PortfolioE.R.x% Equity1YR PerformanceRank
Conservative
Conservative: Newborn through 4 years (Blended Growth)0.5%62.5%8.52%N/A
Conservative: 5 through 6 years (Moderate Growth)0.5%50%7.99%58 of 70
Conservative: 7 through 8 years (Blended Moderate Growth)0.5%37.5%7.18%N/A
Conservative: 9 through 10 years (Conservative Growth)0.5%25%6.55%6 of 70
Conservative: 11 through 12 years (Conservative)0.5%12.5%5.7%N/A
Conservative: 13 through 14 years (Income)0.5%0%3.8%6 of 78
Conservative: 15 through 16 years (Balanced Income)0.5%0%3.14%N/A
Conservative: 17 through 18 years (Conservative Income)0.5%0%2.51%N/A
Conservative: 19 years or older (Interest Accumulation)0.5%0%1.83%17 of 80
Moderate
Moderate: Newborn through 4 years (Aggressive)0.5%87.5%9.45%N/A
Moderate: 5 through 6 years (Growth)0.5%75%8.9%30 of 53
Moderate: 7 through 8 years (Blended Growth)0.5%62.5%8.52%N/A
Moderate: 9 through 10 years (Moderate Growth)0.5%50%7.99%59 of 70
Moderate: 11 through 12 years (Blended Moderate Growth)0.5%37.5%7.18%N/A
Moderate: 13 through 14 years (Conservative Growth)0.5%25%6.55%48 of 78
Moderate: 15 through 16 years (Conservative)0.5%12.5%5.7%N/A
Moderate: 17 through 18 years (Income)0.5%0%3.8%61 of 80
Moderate: 19 years or older (Income)0.5%0%3.8%60 of 80
Aggressive
Aggressive: Newborn through 4 years (Aggressive Growth)0.5%100%9.97%38 of 55
Aggressive: 5 through 6 years (Aggressive)0.5%87.5%9.45%N/A
Aggressive: 7 through 8 years (Aggressive)0.5%87.5%9.45%N/A
Aggressive: 9 through 10 years (Growth)0.5%75%8.9%31 of 53
Aggressive: 11 through 12 years (Blended Growth)0.5%62.5%8.52%N/A
Aggressive: 13 through 14 years (Moderate Growth)0.5%50%7.99%102 of 120
Aggressive: 15 through 16 years (Blended Moderate Growth)0.5%37.5%7.18%N/A
Aggressive: 17 through 18 years (Conservative Growth)0.5%25%6.55%23 of 78
Aggressive: 19 years or older (Conservative)0.5%12.5%5.7%N/A

Static Investment Options

This refers to an investment option that is not programmed to change over time. The individual fund portfolio and multi-fund portfolio described below are static options. So are many portfolios that do not use mutual funds, such as stable-value options, guaranteed options, CD options, etc.

PortfolioE.R.x% Equity1YR PerformanceRank
Aggressive Growth Portfolio0.5%100%9.97%142 of 235
Growth Portfolio0.5%75%8.9%34 of 50
Moderate Growth Portfolio0.5%50%7.99%20 of 52
Conservative Growth Portfolio0.5%25%6.55%13 of 39
Income Portfolio0.5%0%3.8%27 of 70

Individual Investment Options

Sometimes called a single-fund option, this is a portfolio invested in a single mutual fund. Often the name of the 529 portfolio is very similar to the name of the underlying mutual fund. A large number of broker-sold 529s offer an extensive line-up of individual fund options, while a smaller number of direct-sold 529s offer them.

PortfolioE.R.x% Equity1YR PerformanceRank
Interest Accumulation Portfolio0.5%0%1.83%39 of 68

Use the form below to filter through the investment options in this plan

Child age


Max Expense Ratio:2.5%