Maryland 529

Maryland 529 — formerly College Savings Plans of Maryland[1] — is an independent State agency that was created to help Maryland families save for future college expenses and reduce dependence on student loans and other forms of debt.[2]

Not to be confused with Maryland Route 529.

Maryland 529 administers three plans:

  • The Maryland Prepaid College Trust,[3] which first opened for enrollment in 1998, and
  • The Maryland College Investment Plan,[4] which launched in 2001 and is managed and distributed by T. Rowe Price, and
  • The Maryland ABLE Program which launched in November 2017 and whose Program Manager is SumDay, a subsidiary of BNY Mellon.

All three plans are 529 plans, named after the section of the Internal Revenue Code that permits states to establish and administer tax-advantaged savings plans. Each has its own set of features and benefits, and all three offer federal and Maryland State tax advantages. Also, students in the college savings plans may use their account at nearly any accredited college nationwide.

Erin Layton is the Executive Director of Maryland 529.[5]

Ratings

In 2014, The Maryland College Investment Plan was one of four 529 plans nationwide to receive a “Gold” rating from Morningstar, Inc.[6] This is the fifth year in a row the Maryland College Investment Plan has received Morningstar's highest rating.[7] Morningstar analysts reviewed 64 plans for its 2014 ratings (10/21/2014), 2013 ratings (10/22/13)[8] and 2012 ratings (10/15/12), of which four plans received a “Gold” rating.[9] To determine a plan's rating, Morningstar analysts considered five factors: the plan's strategy and investment process; the plan's risk-adjusted performance; an assessment of the individuals managing the plan's investment options; the stewardship practices of the plan's administration and parent firm; and whether the plan's investment options are a good value proposition compared to its peers. Plans were then assigned forward-looking ratings of "Gold," "Silver," "Bronze," "Neutral," and "Negative." Twenty-one of the industry's smallest plans were not rated in 2014 or 2013 and 22 were not rated in 2012.

For its 2011 ratings, Morningstar analysts reviewed 58 plans, of which six plans received a "Top" rating, and 53 plans for its 2010 survey, of which five plans received a "Top" rating. Ratings for each plan in 2011 and 2010 were based on five factors: the quality of the underlying investment options; performance of those options; the skill of the managers of those options; the costs associated with each plan; and the stewardship practices of each plan's program manager. Plans were then assigned ratings of "Top," "Above Average," "Average," "Below Average," and "Bottom." To earn a "Top" rating under the previous ratings scale, a plan needed to be best-in-class across all five areas.[10][11]

Both plans are administered by the Maryland 529 Board, which includes 11 members, half of whom are State officials and the other half of whom are public members appointed by Maryland's Governor. Maryland Treasurer Nancy Kopp serves as the current chair of the board.[12]

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  • Maryland 529 hosts a website (http://www.maryland529.org) that provides interested parents and families with comprehensive information about each of its 529 plans.[13]

References
  1. Effective July 1, 2016, College Savings Plans of Maryland was renamed, Maryland 529."Maryland General Assembly" (PDF).
  2. "About Us".
  3. "Maryland Prepaid College Trust Overview". Maryland529.org.
  4. "Maryland College Investment Plan Overview".
  5. "Our Board". Maryland529.org.
  6. http://corporate.morningstar.com/as/asp/subject.aspx?xmlfile=501.xml&filter=PR5238
  7. http://www.collegesavingsmd.org/college-savings-plans-of-maryland/maryland-college-investment-plan/features-benefits#Morningstar%20analysts
  8. http://corporate.morningstar.com/as/asp/subject.aspx?xmlfile=501.xml&filter=PR5006
  9. http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=570349
  10. http://corporate.morningstar.com/us/pr/529_ratingsa_z.pdf
  11. Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar analysts’ current expectations about future events and therefore involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Morningstar’s expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Morningstar does not represent its Analyst Ratings to be guarantees.
  12. "Our Board". Maryland529.org.
  13. Please carefully read the Enrollment Kit which describes the investment objectives, risks, expenses, and other important information that you should consider before you invest in the College Savings Plans of Maryland. The Enrollment Kit is available online or by calling 888.4MD.GRAD (463.4723). Also, if you or your beneficiary live outside of Maryland, you should consider before investing whether your state or your beneficiary’s state offer state tax or other benefits for investing in its 529 plan.
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