Historical performance CategoryActive Growth PortfolioBenchmark 3 years 5.42% 5.49% 5 years 9.35% 9.01% 10 years 8.37% 7.96% Since inception 9.44% 8.79%2 more rows
If an investor opened a tax-deferred 529 account with an initial investment of $2,500 and contributed $100 every month for 18 years, the account could be worth over $6,300 more than with similar contributions into a taxable account.
By superfunding your 529 plan with a lump-sum contribution of $50,000, in 18 years when your child is ready to enter college, your account balance will have increased to $120,331. By dividing $50,000 into monthly contributions of $231 instead, your account balance will have only increased to $81,509.
Closing the Savings Gap For instance, if you opened a 529 account for a newborn this year and contributed $250 a month, Vanguard's college savings calculator estimates you'd have more than $113,000 when your child heads off to college in 18 years. That's more than double your $54,000 investment.
Franklin Templeton 529 College Savings Plan offers features that make it a convenient way to save for college, including monthly automatic investment plans and portfolios that automatically rebalance as the beneficiary gets closer to college.
Ideally, you should save at least $250 per month if you anticipate your child attending an in-state college (four years, public), $450 per month for an out-of-state public four-year college, and $550 per month for a private non-profit four-year college, from birth to college enrollment.
If the beneficiary of a 529 account doesn't go to college, you canchange the beneficiary or take a non-qualified withdrawal. If you take a non-qualified withdrawal, you will incur income tax as well as a 10% penalty tax on the earnings portionof the account.
This year, a big change happened to 529 college savings plans. As of 2024, families can roll over unused 529 funds to the account beneficiary's Roth individual retirement account, without triggering income taxes or penalties, as long as the 529 plan has been open for at least 15 years.
The gift-tax annual exclusion increases from $18,000 to $19,000 in 2025, so the maximum amount of contributions eligible for the 5-year election increased from $90,000 to $95,000.