2008 1-year Top Performing Direct Plans Q1

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 both 1-year and 3-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan, selecting portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds, and money-market funds, allowing for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven different 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. 529 Performance Rankings as of March 31, 2008 Direct sold 529 Plans Ranked by 1 Yr performance Updated June 3, 2008 1-year Performance Ranking (click here for 3 Year Performance Table) Rank State Plan Percentile 1 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct 25.00 2 Nebraska College Savings Plan of Nebraska (Direct-sold) 27.35 3 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 29.28 4 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Investment Plan (Direct-sold) 29.32 5 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 29.76 6 Montana Pacific Life Funds 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) MT 30.36 7 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 30.71 8 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 31.00 9 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 31.64 10 Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan 32.31 11 Nevada The Upromise College Fund 32.39 12 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 33.22 13 California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan 33.41 14 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 34.51 15 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 35.33 16 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 35.37 17 Iowa College Savings Iowa 35.46 18 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 36.18 19 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust 36.79 20 North Dakota College SAVE 37.82 21 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 38.08 22 Louisiana START Saving Program 39.86 23 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 39.97 24 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 42.14 25 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 42.83 26 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 44.83 27 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program - Direct Plan 45.34 28 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 46.40 29 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland - College Investment Plan 46.73 30 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 47.60 31 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 47.63 32 Tennessee Tennessee's BEST Savings Plan 48.97 33 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 50.51 34 Virginia Virginia Education Savings Trust (VEST) 51.03 35 Wisconsin EdVest (Direct-sold) 52.52 36 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 52.88 37 Alabama Higher Education 529 Fund (Direct-sold) 54.15 38 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 55.22 39 North Carolina National College Savings Program 55.33 40 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 55.49 41 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 56.70 42 Georgia Path2College 529 Plan 56.77 43 Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program 58.51 44 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 60.13 45 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 61.24 46 Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan 68.25 47 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold Alternative R) 69.93 48 West Virginia SMART529 Select 72.92 49 Nevada USAA College Savings Plan 84.63 - Florida Florida College Investment Plan NA - Maine NextGen College Investing Plan - Client Direct Series NA - Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program NA - Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) NA - Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program - Direct-sold-Plan NA - Texas Texas College Savings Plan NA NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least 3 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% Equity, 80% Equity, 60% Equity, 40% Equity, 20% Equity, 100% Fixed, and 100% 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 represents past performance and is 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 of 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 both 1-year and 3-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan, selecting portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds, and money-market funds, allowing for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven different 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. 529 Performance Rankings as of March 31, 2008 Direct sold 529 Plans Ranked by 1 Yr performance Updated June 3, 2008 1-year Performance Ranking (click here for 3 Year Performance Table) Rank State Plan Percentile 1 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct 25.00 2 Nebraska College Savings Plan of Nebraska (Direct-sold) 27.35 3 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 29.28 4 Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Investment Plan (Direct-sold) 29.32 5 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 29.76 6 Montana Pacific Life Funds 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) MT 30.36 7 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 30.71 8 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 31.00 9 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 31.64 10 Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan 32.31 11 Nevada The Upromise College Fund 32.39 12 Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan 33.22 13 California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan 33.41 14 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 34.51 15 Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 35.33 16 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan 35.37 17 Iowa College Savings Iowa 35.46 18 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 36.18 19 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Trust 36.79 20 North Dakota College SAVE 37.82 21 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 38.08 22 Louisiana START Saving Program 39.86 23 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 39.97 24 Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program 42.14 25 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 42.83 26 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 44.83 27 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program - Direct Plan 45.34 28 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 46.40 29 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland - College Investment Plan 46.73 30 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 47.60 31 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 47.63 32 Tennessee Tennessee's BEST Savings Plan 48.97 33 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 50.51 34 Virginia Virginia Education Savings Trust (VEST) 51.03 35 Wisconsin EdVest (Direct-sold) 52.52 36 Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan 52.88 37 Alabama Higher Education 529 Fund (Direct-sold) 54.15 38 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 55.22 39 North Carolina National College Savings Program 55.33 40 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 55.49 41 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 56.70 42 Georgia Path2College 529 Plan 56.77 43 Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program 58.51 44 New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan 60.13 45 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 61.24 46 Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan 68.25 47 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold Alternative R) 69.93 48 West Virginia SMART529 Select 72.92 49 Nevada USAA College Savings Plan 84.63 - Florida Florida College Investment Plan NA - Maine NextGen College Investing Plan - Client Direct Series NA - Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program NA - Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) NA - Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program - Direct-sold-Plan NA - Texas Texas College Savings Plan NA NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least 3 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% Equity, 80% Equity, 60% Equity, 40% Equity, 20% Equity, 100% Fixed, and 100% 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 represents past performance and is 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 of 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.