Facebook Pixel
Quick links
LoginGet started
529 Plans
College Savings 101
Student Loans
For Professionals

Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Advisor-sold)

4 / 5

Our rating

Best SC resident benefits

SC resident benefits

South Carolina's Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Advisor-sold) features an extensive menu of age-based and static portfolio options utilizing mutual funds from Columbia and a number of other fund families. Although sharing the same program name, the advisor-sold Future Scholar is significantly different from South Carolina's direct-sold Future Scholar, using actively-managed funds and index funds. To find a financial advisor in your area, use the Directory of Financial Professionals.

Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Advisor-sold)High Honors

KEY METRICS

OVERVIEW

Program type

Savings

Inception

2002

State agency

Office of the State Treasurer

Tax deduction

For single filers: No limit

For joint filers: No limit

Program manager

Columbia Management Investment Advisors, LLC

Program distributor

Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc.

Manager contract term

MORE INFORMATION

Eligibility

State residency requirements:

None

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; joint ownership by spouses is permitted.

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 $575,000.

Minimum contributions:

With lump-sum contributions, the minimum initial contribution is $250, and the minimum subsequent contribution is none. With the automatic investment plan.

Does the program offer an e-gifting platform for receiving gift contributions?

This plan offers an online tool to share a gift contribution link with family and friends.

Investment Options

Investors in Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Advisor-sold) can select from the following investment options. Click on a portfolio name for more information.

The Age-Based Portfolios option is offered in 3 different risk levels (Aggressive, Moderate, and Conservative) each containing 9 (8 in the Conservative track) 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.
PortfolioE.R. % Equity1yr performance
Aggressive 0-3 Years (Aggressive Growth)0.85%93.4%5.01%
Aggressive 4-5 Years (Growth)0.85%83.5%5.16%
Aggressive 6-7 Years (70% Equity)0.85%73.1%5.21%
Aggressive 8-9 Years (Moderate Growth)0.87%62.7%5.15%
Aggressive 10-11 Years (Moderate)0.86%51.5%5.18%
Aggressive 12-13 Years (40% Equity)0.85%41.2%5.07%
Conservative 0-3 Years (70% Equity)0.85%73.1%5.21%
Conservative 4-5 Years (Moderate Growth)0.87%62.7%5.15%
Conservative 6-7 Years (Moderate)0.86%51.5%5.18%
Conservative 8-9 Years (40% Equity)0.85%41.2%5.07%
Conservative 10-11 Years (Moderately Conservative)0.85%31.2%5.09%
Moderate 0-3 Years (Growth)0.85%83.5%5.16%
Moderate 4-5 Years (70% Equity)0.85%73.1%5.21%
Moderate 6-7 Years (Moderate Growth)0.87%62.7%5.15%
Moderate 8-9 Years (Moderate)0.86%51.5%5.18%
Moderate 10-11 Years (40% Equity)0.85%41.2%5.07%
Moderate 12-13 Years (Moderately Conservative)0.85%31.2%5.09%
Aggressive 14-15 Years (Moderately Conservative)0.85%31.2%5.09%
Aggressive 16-17 Years (20% Equity)0.83%21%4.97%
Aggressive 18 Years and over (Conservative)0.71%10.9%5.2%
Moderate 14-15 Years (20% Equity)0.83%21%4.97%
Moderate 16-17 Years (Conservative)0.71%10.9%5.2%
Moderate 18 Years and over (College)0.68%0%4.88%
Conservative 12-13 Years (20% Equity)0.83%21%4.97%
Conservative 14-15 Years (Conservative)0.71%10.9%5.2%
Conservative 16 Years and over (College)0.68%0%4.88%

Age-based/Enrollment Year investment options:

The Age-Based Portfolios option is offered in 3 different risk levels (Aggressive, Moderate, and Conservative) each containing 9 (8 in the Conservative track) 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), 24 individual-fund portfolios and a bank deposit account.

Underlying investments:

Mutual funds from Columbia Management, Legg Mason/Clearbridge Investments, Dimensional Fund Advisors, American Century Investments, Fidelity, BlackRock, iShares, Carillon Clarivest Capital, Janus, Vanguard, MFS, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, PGIM, Principal and a BB&T is now Truist.

Underlying fund allocations:

Portfolio Fees & Performance Lookup

Fees & Expenses

Enrollment or application fee:

None, but contributions may be subject to a sales charge depending on share class.

Account maintenance fee:

$25 annually for accounts with less than $10,000, waived for South Carolina residents and state employees, and for accounts in the automatic contribution plan.

Program management fees:

Management fee: 0.05%; none for the Bank Deposit 529 Portfolio

0.10% fee to the state, plus distribution/servicing fees of 0.15% - 0.25% (Class A), 0.15% - 1.00% (Class C), 0.50% (Class E), or none (Class I)

Expenses of the underlying investments:

Ranges from 0.31% to 0.46% (portfolio weighted average) in the age-based and static portfolios, from 0.04% to 1.18% in the individual-fund portfolios. None for the Bank Deposit portfolio.

Total asset-based expense ratio:

Class A: 0.34% - 1.58%
Class C: 0.45% - 2.33%
Class E: 0.45% - 1.83%
Class I: 0.19% - 1.33%
None for Bank Deposit 529 Portfolio

Broker loads and commissions:

Breakpoint pricing:

Does breakpoint pricing include non-529 assets under rights of accumulation policies

Taxes and other Benefits

Tax deduction for single filers:

No limit

Tax deduction for joint filers:

No limit

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.

Calculate your South Carolina 529 tax benefit

Find out how much you can save on state taxes this year by contributing to a South Carolina 529 plan.

Your tax savings per year
$0

Household income

$100,000

Monthly Contribution

$100

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 definition of qualified expenses

The state conforms with the federal definition of qualified education expenses, which includes expenses for higher education, apprenticeship programs, interest and/or principal on qualified education loans up to a $10,000 lifetime cap, and up to $10,000 per year in tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school. Distributions from a 529 account directly to a Roth IRA are considered a qualified expense for state income tax purposes.

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

Is there a rewards program or outside scholarship program that works with this program?

Yes, the Upromise Rewards program can be linked to any 529 college savings plan. Upromise Rewards is free to join and offers members cash back for college.

Statutory protection of an account from creditors:

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?

No

Documents and other services accessible or downloadable on the program's public Web site:

Contact

Website:

https://www.columbiathreadneedleus.com/investor/investment-products/529-plans/529-plan-investor-information/

Telephone:

1-888-244-5674

Telephone for broker use:

Get expert help finding the right 529 plan

Connect with a financial advisor in your local area

Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Advisor-sold)

A good place to start:

See the best 529 plans, personalized for you
Helping families save for college since 1999
Key Resources
Our Company
Join our email list

The latest articles and tips to help parents stay on track with saving and paying for college, delivered to your inbox every week.

Frequently featured in:

Saving For College is an unbiased, independent resource for parents and financial professionals, providing them with information and tools to understand the benefits of 529 college savings plans and how to meet the challenge of increasing college costs.

20533 Biscayne Blvd Ste 4 #199 Miami, FL 33180-1501Phone: (585) 286-5426Copyright © 2025 Saving for College, LLC. All Rights Reserved