Upromise Investments, Inc., which was acquired by Ascensus College Savings in 2013, became manager of the Indiana CollegeChoice Advisor 529 Savings Plan in September 2008, replacing JPMorgan. The plan uses BlackRock, Schwab, DFA, American Funds, T.Rowe Price, Carillon Tower Advisors and Vanguard funds in its Year of Enrollment Option and mutual funds from various investment managers in its individual portfolios. The plan also offers an FDIC-insured Savings Portfolio from NexBank and the Capital Preservation Portfolio invested in the New York Life Guaranteed Interest Account. Accounts can be linked to the Upromise Rewards service. To find a financial advisor in your area, use the Directory of Financial Professionals.
The fee score is derived from the analysis of costs done as part of Savingforcollege.com's 5-Cap Rating. This analysis compares total average asset-based expenses of the plan to other 529 savings plans. See the methodology for more information.
The performance score is derived from the analysis of performance as part of Savingforcollege.com’s 5-Cap Rating. See the methodology for more information.
Program type 1997, but substantially changed in 2008 State agency Indiana Education Savings Authority (IESA) Tax deduction Program Manager Ascensus Government Savings Program distributor Ascensus Broker Dealer ServicesThis is an excellent program with many benefits for the participant and positive investment attributes. If it has any significant weaknesses then it also has some particularly good things to recommend it.
This is an excellent program with many benefits for the participant and positive investment attributes. If it has any significant weaknesses then it also has some particularly good things to recommend it.
SAVING FOR COLLEGE’S 5-Cap Ratings provides an evaluation and comparison of 529 plans, utilizing a formula that examines dozens of factors grouped into the following categories.
Performance 2.20 of 5Each plan's performance score is developed directly from Savingforcollege.com's Quarterly 529 Performance Rankings. A 529 savings plan must have at least one year of performance history before they will be assigned a 5-cap rating. For those plans that are not part of our quarterly performance rankings, such as plans offering a single set of bank-based investment options, we assign a performance score by evaluating the returns currently available on similar types of investments outside of 529 plans.
Costs 3.56 of 5We compare the total average asset-based expense ratio of the plan to other 529 savings plans. We also compare the asset-based expense attributable to program manager and administrator fees, because these represent the additional costs of using the 529 plan over and above the costs of investing directly in the plan’s underlying investments. We also adjust for plans that charge on enrollment fee and/or annual account management fee. For advisor-sold plans, we compare the sales loads on the "A" share class. And we also penalize plans offering a menu of investment options that you can find in a different 529 plan but at a lower cost.
Features 4.74 of 5How "state-of-the-art" is this 529 plan? What extra features does it provide for the benefit of its participants? Among the features we look for are investment menus covering the full range of investor risk; the ability of the plan to hire and fire investment managers or replace their underlying mutual funds; creditor protection under the sponsoring state’s laws; FDIC-insured options; purchase rewards programs; other participant perks; and minimum and maximum contribution restrictions.
Reliability 4.45 of 5No one likes unpleasant surprises, and here we look for the warning signs. We assign a rating to the 529 plans based on many considerations including industry experience of the outside program managers; plan popularity; risk of plan upheaval; quality of program disclosures and other materials; state due diligence practices; investment reporting; flexibility to make account changes; withdrawal restrictions; and rollover procedures.
Resident 0.50The Resident 5-Cap Rating may be higher than the Non-Resident 5-Cap Rating if the 529 plan or the state offering it provides special benefits to residents of the state. These benefits might consist of a state tax deduction or credit for contributions to the plan that are not available for contributions to an out-of-state 529 plan; a matching contribution program; a break on fees and expenses; an advantage in computing eligibility for state-funded financial aid programs; or any other potentially valuable advantage.