Best 529 Plans

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Why We Chose It:Ohio’s CollegeAdvantage 529 took our spot for best overall because it is one of the highest-rated 529 plans and offers a variety of investment options as well as low fees.

Ohio’s CollegeAdvantage 529, which earns a Silver rating from analyst website Morningstar tops our list as the best overall because it offers a variety of ready-made age-based portfolios that can either be actively or passively managed and become less risky as your child gets older.They also offer ready-made risk-based portfolios managed by Vanguard with options that allow you to invest based on your risk tolerance. CollegeAdvantage’s asset-based expense ratios for age-based options range from 0.17% to 0.30% annually and static and individual options under 0.49% (as of January 2021).

You can also build your own portfolio with a mix of cash, stocks, bonds funds, and FDIC-insured choices to suit your risk tolerance. And if you have a financial advisor, you can work with them on your CollegeAdvantage plan.

CollegeAdvantage’s 529 plan has no enrollment fee or annual account maintenance fee and only has a 0.13% manager fee and a 0.02% state fee. The plan also requires an initial investment of only $25 and offers up $4,000 in annual state tax deductions per beneficiary for Ohio residents.

The beneficiary of CollegeAdvantage's 529 does not need to live nor attend college in Ohio.

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Why We Chose It:California’s ScholarShare 529 ranks as our best for low fees because the plan offers various investment options, reasonable asset-based fees, and no application, cancellation, or transfer fees.

管理方ScholarShare 529在我们的列表best for low fees since it charges no application, cancellation, change-in-beneficiary, change-in-investment-portfolio, or transfer fees, as well as no loads or sales charges and no commissions. Its annual asset-based fees also range from 0% to 0.52% (as of March 2021), and you can open and contribute to an account with any dollar amount. ScholarShare also earns a Silver rating from analyst website Morningstar.

ScholarShare offers various flexible investment options, including enrollment year, guaranteed, multi-fund, and single-fund investment portfolios. Although its investments include funds from TIAA-CREF, T. Rowe Price, and more, it doesn’t offer an FDIC-insured option. Finally, although contributions are not deductible for California income tax purposes, earnings accrue free of state income tax.

ScholarShare also offers various resources on its website to make understanding 529 plans, investing, risk management, and more a lot easier. You can also apply directly on the website, set up recurring contributions from your bank account or by payroll direct deposit, or manage your investments all online. ScholarShare’s asset-based expense ratios for age-based options range from 0.08% to 0.52% annually and static and individual options under 0.53%.

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Why We Chose It:Oregon College Savings Plan ranks as our best for performance because it offers a variety of enrollment and static portfolio options as well as FDIC-insured options and competitive returns since inception on its investment portfolios.

The Oregon College Savings Plan earns our top spot as the best for performance because its reported returns since inception on its investment portfolios range from 1.26% to 21.98%. It also earns a Silver rating from the analyst website Morningstar.

The Oregon College Savings Plan offers a variety of College Enrollment Year Portfolios that automatically move to more conservative investments as the beneficiary ages and static portfolios managed by TIAA-CREF, T. Rowe Price, and others plus FDIC-Insured options.

Although the Oregon College Savings Plan charges no enrollment or maintenance fee, it does require a $25 minimum investment and an annual investment fee of 0% to 0.466% depending on the portfolios you’ve chosen.

俄勒冈大学储蓄计划也要走ers several easy savings tools and features on its website. You can set a savings goal, track your progress, and set up a gifting page that can be shared directly with friends and family or on social media.

Oregon College Savings Plan’s asset-based expense ratios for age-based options range from 0.30% to 0.33% annually and static and individual options under 0.70%.

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Why We Chose It:Utah’s my529 was chosen as our best for customizable plans because it offers 13 different investment options, including two customized options with no minimum contribution or balance required.

Utah’s my529 plan offers four age-based and seven static investment options plus two customizable investment options, making it our choice as the best for customizable plans. It also boasts an impressive Gold rating from analyst website Morningstar.

The age-based options available from my529 automatically reallocate account funds as the beneficiary ages and include FDIC-insured accounts. Although its static options don’t change allocations with age, the plan also allows you to choose customized age-based or static options to fit your needs. As with many 529 plans, my529 lets you change your investment option twice a year.

Although my529 charges no enrollment fee and requires no minimum contribution or balance for its investment accounts, it does charge an annual administrative fee ranging from 0.100% to 0.120% (as of March 2021). Asset-based expense ratios for age-based options range from 0.14% to 0.165% annually and static and individual options under 0.52%. Utah residents also get a 5% tax credit per beneficiary per year.

You start your my529 account online and choose your investment strategy using the plan’s website, all with no fee or initial contribution required.

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Why We Chose It:Illinois’ Bright Start 529 plan ranks as our best for investment options because it offers generous tax deductions for Illinois taxpayers as well as six age-based and 22 static and individual portfolio options.

伊利诺斯州的明亮的529计划允许任何人年代开始ave up to $450,000 in college funds by choosing from 28 investment options, including age-based and static/individual portfolios, making it our top pick as the best for investment options. It also boasts an impressive Gold rating from Morningstar.

Bright Start offers many investment options across three broad types, including six age-based portfolios that automatically adjust based on the beneficiary’s age, six target portfolios that remain constant over time, and 16 individual portfolios you can tailor to your risk tolerance. Age-based and target portfolios utilize either Vanguard funds or a multi-firm strategy, including T. Rowe Price, DFA, Vanguard, Dodge & Cox, and others.

Bright Start charges no enrollment or maintenance fees and requires only a $25 minimum investment to get started. It does, however, charge a 0.08% program management fee and 0.03% state administrative fee. Asset-based expense ratios for age-based options range from 0.12% to 0.45% annually and static and individual options under 0.83% (as of January 2021). Illinois taxpayers can also take a $10,000 deduction per individual taxpayer or $20,000 for a married couple filing jointly.