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2012 plan performance rankings Q4
http://www.savingforcollege.com/articles/2012-plan-performance-rankings-q4
Posted: 2013-02-18
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, three-year investment performance, five-year investment performance and ten-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.
Here are our 529 performance rankings as of December 31, 2012.
We ranked plans that consumers can enroll in directly (see below), as well as those sold through brokers and fee-based financial planners).
One-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) | 18.38 |
| 2 | Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | 22.82 |
| 3 | California | The ScholarShare College Savings Plan | 26.41 |
| 4 | Virginia | Virginia529 inVEST | 29.65 |
| 5 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct | 30.87 |
| 6 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 33.22 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) | 33.41 |
| 8 | Connecticut | Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) | 35.36 |
| 9 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 35.59 |
| 10 | Nevada | USAA 529 College Savings Plan | 36.24 |
See the full list of one-year direct-sold rankings.
Three-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | 26.39 |
| 2 | Virginia | Virginia529 inVEST | 28.26 |
| 3 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan | 28.89 |
| 4 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 29.70 |
| 5 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 29.77 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan | 31.40 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma College Savings Plan | 33.28 |
| 8 | Minnesota | Minnesota College Savings Plan | 34.23 |
| 9 | South Dakota | CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) | 34.31 |
| 10 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 35.59 |
See the full list of three-year direct-sold rankings.
Five-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | USAA 529 College Savings Plan | 13.81 |
| 2 | Utah | Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust | 25.79 |
| 3 | Florida | Florida 529 Savings Plan | 27.26 |
| 4 | Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan | 30.91 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan | 31.43 |
| 6 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan | 31.59 |
| 7 | Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | 33.11 |
| 8 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 35.16 |
| 9 | Ohio | Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan | 35.40 |
| 10 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | 35.61 |
See the full list of five-year direct-sold rankings.
Ten-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 20.19 |
| 2 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 27.20 |
| 3 | Virginia | Virginia529 inVEST | 33.07 |
| 4 | Maryland | College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan | 34.36 |
| 5 | Louisiana | START Saving Program | 40.90 |
| 6 | Iowa | College Savings Iowa | 43.58 |
| 7 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 45.20 |
| 8 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | 49.40 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) | 56.13 |
See the full list of ten-year direct-sold rankings.
For broker-sold plan rankings and fee-based financial planners.
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, three-year investment performance, five-year investment performance and ten-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.
Here are our 529 performance rankings as of December 31, 2012.
We ranked plans that consumers can enroll in directly (see below), as well as those sold through brokers and fee-based financial planners).
One-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) | 18.38 |
| 2 | Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | 22.82 |
| 3 | California | The ScholarShare College Savings Plan | 26.41 |
| 4 | Virginia | Virginia529 inVEST | 29.65 |
| 5 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct | 30.87 |
| 6 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 33.22 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) | 33.41 |
| 8 | Connecticut | Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) | 35.36 |
| 9 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 35.59 |
| 10 | Nevada | USAA 529 College Savings Plan | 36.24 |
See the full list of one-year direct-sold rankings.
Three-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | 26.39 |
| 2 | Virginia | Virginia529 inVEST | 28.26 |
| 3 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan | 28.89 |
| 4 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 29.70 |
| 5 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 29.77 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan | 31.40 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma College Savings Plan | 33.28 |
| 8 | Minnesota | Minnesota College Savings Plan | 34.23 |
| 9 | South Dakota | CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) | 34.31 |
| 10 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 35.59 |
See the full list of three-year direct-sold rankings.
Five-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | USAA 529 College Savings Plan | 13.81 |
| 2 | Utah | Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust | 25.79 |
| 3 | Florida | Florida 529 Savings Plan | 27.26 |
| 4 | Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan | 30.91 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan | 31.43 |
| 6 | New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan | 31.59 |
| 7 | Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | 33.11 |
| 8 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 35.16 |
| 9 | Ohio | Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan | 35.40 |
| 10 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | 35.61 |
See the full list of five-year direct-sold rankings.
Ten-year performance ranking
| Rank | State | Plan | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | 20.19 |
| 2 | Alaska | University of Alaska College Savings Plan | 27.20 |
| 3 | Virginia | Virginia529 inVEST | 33.07 |
| 4 | Maryland | College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan | 34.36 |
| 5 | Louisiana | START Saving Program | 40.90 |
| 6 | Iowa | College Savings Iowa | 43.58 |
| 7 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | 45.20 |
| 8 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | 49.40 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) | 56.13 |
See the full list of ten-year direct-sold rankings.
For broker-sold plan rankings and fee-based financial planners.
How to rank 529 plan performance
Ranking over 3,000 investment options is no easy task, considering the wide variety of options found in 529 savings plans, and it requires a special methodology.
Step one: We select specific portfolios from each 529 plan that can be compared on an apples-to-apples basis to portfolios in other 529 plans, based on their allocation among stocks, bonds and short-term instruments (money market and guaranteed investments). We've set up seven different asset-allocation categories ranging from 100 percent equity to 100 percent short-term.
Step two: Within each of the seven categories, we compare historical performance of the selected portfolios and assign each plan a percentile ranking between one (best) and 100 (worst). Separate rankings are developed for one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year performances.
Step three: We take the average of each 529 plan's percentile rankings in the seven asset-allocation categories to produce a combined or "composite" percentile ranking. We then produce reports showing how the 529 plans rank against each other in their composite percentile rankings. Note: We currently produce these composite rankings for one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year performances.
For a more in-depth explanation of our methodology, please read our white paper.
See the one-year direct-sold, three-year direct-sold, five-year direct-sold and ten-year direct-sold rankings.
More information
Links to our full report on the composite rankings for this quarter are provided below for the direct-sold 529 plans. Only our Premium subscribers have access to composite rankings for advisor-sold 529 plans, to the underlying data supporting the rankings and to separate one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year rankings for each of the seven different asset-allocation categories. In addition, subscribers can easily look up the historical performance for every 529 portfolio in every available share class by using our Fee and Performance Lookup Tool.
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