2010 One-year Top Performing Direct Plans Q3

Savingforcollege.com ranks the performance of direct-sold 529 plans. Direct-sold plans are those that consumers can enroll in without using a broker. We have prepared one-year, three-year and five-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. We selected portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds and money market funds, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven asset-allocation categories. The lower the "percentile," the better the ranking. This ranking could be a useful tool for you when selecting which direct 529 plan might be right for you. Here are our 529 performance rankings as of September 30, 2010. Direct-sold 529 plans. Updated December 1, 2010 One-year performance ranking (click here for three-year performance table and five-year performance table): Rank State Plan Percentile 1 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 20.97 2 Louisiana START Saving Program 21.92 3 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 22.25 4 Virginia Virginia Education Savings Trust (VEST) 24.95 5 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 28.56 6 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 31.50 7 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 32.89 8 North Carolina National College Savings Program 35.49 9 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 35.59 10 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 35.79 11 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 36.07 12 Nebraska College Savings Plan of Nebraska (Direct-sold) 40.42 13 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 41.31 14 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct 41.63 15 Wisconsin EdVest (Direct-sold) 41.97 16 Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program 42.27 17 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust 42.58 18 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 43.46 19 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 44.90 20 Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan 45.29 21 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 45.37 22 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 45.50 23 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 45.66 24 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 46.60 25 Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series 46.70 26 Georgia Path2College 529 Plan 48.80 27 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 49.41 28 Nevada The Upromise College Fund 50.99 29 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 52.45 30 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 52.89 31 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 54.03 32 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 54.27 33 California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan 55.34 34 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 55.35 35 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 55.49 36 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 55.65 37 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 55.70 38 Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program 56.78 39 Iowa College Savings Iowa 57.04 40 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 57.42 41 Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) 57.99 42 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative R) 58.67 43 West Virginia SMART529 Select 60.51 44 Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan 60.64 45 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 60.94 46 North Dakota College SAVE 61.71 47 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 62.10 48 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Investment Plan (Direct-sold) 69.41 49 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 85.20 50 Texas Texas College Savings Plan 86.00 - Alabama College Counts 529 Fund (Direct-sold) NA - Florida Florida College Investment Plan NA - Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan NA NA = Not applicable = Program does not have at least three portfolios with sufficiently long performance under our ranking model. The Savingforcollege.com plan composite rankings are derived using the plans' relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories. The asset-allocation categories used are: 100 percent equity, 80 percent equity, 60 percent equity, 40 percent equity, 20 percent equity, 100 percent fixed and 100 percent short term. The plan composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in the seven categories. The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan. Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public. Disclaimer: Bankrate, Inc. shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures. For broker-sold plan rankings, click here. Savingforcollege.com ranks the performance of direct-sold 529 plans. Direct-sold plans are those that consumers can enroll in without using a broker. We have prepared one-year, three-year and five-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. We selected portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds and money market funds, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven asset-allocation categories. The lower the "percentile," the better the ranking. This ranking could be a useful tool for you when selecting which direct 529 plan might be right for you. Here are our 529 performance rankings as of September 30, 2010. Direct-sold 529 plans. Updated December 1, 2010 One-year performance ranking (click here for three-year performance table and five-year performance table): Rank State Plan Percentile 1 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 20.97 2 Louisiana START Saving Program 21.92 3 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 22.25 4 Virginia Virginia Education Savings Trust (VEST) 24.95 5 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 28.56 6 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 31.50 7 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 32.89 8 North Carolina National College Savings Program 35.49 9 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 35.59 10 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 35.79 11 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 36.07 12 Nebraska College Savings Plan of Nebraska (Direct-sold) 40.42 13 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 41.31 14 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct 41.63 15 Wisconsin EdVest (Direct-sold) 41.97 16 Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program 42.27 17 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust 42.58 18 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 43.46 19 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 44.90 20 Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan 45.29 21 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 45.37 22 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 45.50 23 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 45.66 24 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 46.60 25 Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series 46.70 26 Georgia Path2College 529 Plan 48.80 27 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 49.41 28 Nevada The Upromise College Fund 50.99 29 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 52.45 30 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 52.89 31 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 54.03 32 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 54.27 33 California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan 55.34 34 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 55.35 35 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 55.49 36 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 55.65 37 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 55.70 38 Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program 56.78 39 Iowa College Savings Iowa 57.04 40 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 57.42 41 Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) 57.99 42 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative R) 58.67 43 West Virginia SMART529 Select 60.51 44 Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan 60.64 45 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 60.94 46 North Dakota College SAVE 61.71 47 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 62.10 48 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Investment Plan (Direct-sold) 69.41 49 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 85.20 50 Texas Texas College Savings Plan 86.00 - Alabama College Counts 529 Fund (Direct-sold) NA - Florida Florida College Investment Plan NA - Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan NA NA = Not applicable = Program does not have at least three portfolios with sufficiently long performance under our ranking model. The Savingforcollege.com plan composite rankings are derived using the plans' relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories. The asset-allocation categories used are: 100 percent equity, 80 percent equity, 60 percent equity, 40 percent equity, 20 percent equity, 100 percent fixed and 100 percent short term. The plan composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in the seven categories. The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan. Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public. Disclaimer: Bankrate, Inc. shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures. For broker-sold plan rankings, click here.