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COLLEGE SAVINGS 101
Sandra Block, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine

Sandra Block, senior associate editor for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, has covered personal finance for more than 20 years. Before joining Kiplinger's, she was a personal finance reporter and columnist for USA TODAY. Her areas of expertise include taxes, saving for retirement, student loans, consumer banking and money management. She is co-author of the "Busy Family's Guide to Money" and "Easy Ways to Lower Your Taxes: Simple Strategies Every Taxpayer Should Know." Block has also worked for the Akron Beacon-Journal in Akron, Ohio and Dow Jones News Service in Washington, DC. She has a bachelor of arts degree in communications from Bethany College in Bethany, WV.
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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 | South Dakota | CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) |
2 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) |
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 | Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
2 | Ohio | Ohio's 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage |
3 | Alaska | Alaska 529 |
Five-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last five years
State | Plan Name | |
---|---|---|
1 | Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
2 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
3 | Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan |
10-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last ten years.
State | Plan Name | |
---|---|---|
1 | Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
2 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
3 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) |