Let me introduce you to the Virginia College Savings Plan. 

This 529 plan is managed by one of my favorite mutual fund companies – American Funds.

What I Like About The Virginia College Savings Plan

• CollegeAmerica.  This is the partnership between the Virginia College Savings Plan and American Funds.  You can read about it in detail HERE.  I really like American Funds' mutual fund offerings.
• Choices.  American Funds offers 22 different mutual funds as part of the CollegeAmerica plan.  You can also choose to put together a selection of the 22 different mutual funds and take an age-based approach toward your investment.
• Low Initial Investment Requirement.  You only need $250 to get started with the CollegeAmerica plan.  That makes this available to everyone!
• State Tax Deduction for Virginia Taxpayers.  If you are a Virginia resident and contribute to this fund, you are most likely eligible to deduct those contributions from your state taxes!  Virginia residents are allowed to deduct up to $2,000 PER ACCOUNT per year with unlimited carryforwards.  NICE!

What I Would Like To See Improved

• This is a general improvement that I would like to see with all 529 plans, not just the Virginia College Savings Plan.  I would really like to see contributions to ANY state's plan be DEDUCTIBLE from one's own state taxes.  I know.  I know.  I am dreaming again, BUT it would really provide a huge incentive for states to have a great and competitive 529 plan.

Read reviews of other state 529 college savings plans HERE.

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Today, I will review Pennsylvania's 529 plan – the PA "529 Investment Plan".

This 529 program is managed by Upromise Investments and the investments are managed by Vanguard [I have reviewed Vanguard HERE]. 

What I Like About The PA 529 Investment Plan

• Investment Management By Vanguard.  I really like Vanguard's performance and low expense ratios.
• Upromise Linked.  You can link your Upromise qualifying purchases to this 529 which can help boost your savings.
• Tax Deduction For PA Taxpayers. From the PA 529 Investment Plan website: "For each beneficiary, PA residents may deduct up to $12,000 in contributions annually from their Pennsylvania state taxable income ($24,000 if married filing jointly, provided that each spouse has taxable income of $12,000)."  If you have two children and have established two separate 529 accounts, then you can take an even larger deduction!
• Investment Options.  There are three age-based options and ten individual investment portfolio options available.  I like choices!

What I Would Like To See Improved

• This is a general improvement that I would like to see with all 529 plans, not just the PA 529 Investment Plan.  I would like to see an option that allows one to withdraw money from the 529 plan penalty-free if one has paid for a child's college and there is no need for the college savings plan any longer.  Right now, there is a 10% federal penalty tax if one pulls the money out of any 529 plan for anything other than qualified educational expenses.  I would like to at least have the option to roll any extra money over to a Roth IRA – free of penalties.

Read reviews of other state 529 college savings plans HERE.

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In this series, I will be reviewing 529 college saving plans offered by different states.

It might be helpful to first review what a 529 plan is.  A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged college savings plan that is named for the section of tax code that outlines how they may operate – Section 529.

Today's 529 Plan is South Carolina's plan – Future Scholar. 

 
The South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan is managed by Columbia Management (a division of Bank of America).

What I Like About The Future Scholar Plan

• Columbia Management.  I like some of the funds that are offered by Columbia Management.
• Tax Deduction.  Although there are some restrictions, most South Carolina residents can deduct their Future Scholar contributions from their SC state tax return!
• Self-Directed Option.  Through the "Direct Program" SC residents can manage their own investments, and if one chooses to do so the "load" (sales charge) is $0!  If one chooses to invest in the Future Scholar plan with the help of an advisor, there will be a sales charge of around 5%.  The sales charge should not deter someone from investing for college however!  If you are really intimidated by investing and mutual funds, it would be worth the sales charge to ensure you are getting good advice!
• Learning Center.  The Future Scholar plan offers a great site to help one understand and plan for education costs.  It is located HERE.
• Investment Options.  The Future Scholar plan offers three investment options. 

1. Automatic Allocation Choice – This option allows one to "set it and forget it" in regard to adjusting the portfolio.  It is really aggressive when the beneficiary is very young and moves steadily to become more stable as the child approaches college time.
2. Asset Allocation Choice – This option allows one to make a more specific decision on how one's investments are allocated.  This requires a more hands-on approach if one wants to adjust the portfolio.
3. Single Fund Portfolio – This option allows one to invest in specific mutual funds offered via Columbia Funds.

What I Would Like To See Improved

• Expense Ratios.  I would love to see the expense ratio of the funds reduced.  The average expense ratio is around 1.40% to 1.50%.  This is an every year fee and erodes the growth of the investment.

My daughter's college savings is in the SC 529 Future Scholar plan.  The tax benefit was the final straw for me to move the investment from another state's plan to the SC plan.

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