CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – State Treasurer Larry Pack today announced West Virginia’s SMART529 plans again have been named ‘Top of the Class’ in Saving For College’s latest 2025 ratings – their highest honor for 529 plans nationwide.
“This national recognition exemplifies that our SMART529 plans have made a positive impact on families starting to save for their child’s future,” Treasurer Pack said. “We’re proud to be recognized among the top savings plans in the country and will continue to strive to make SMART529 the best college savings option for our children and families.”
Saving For College is a national informational service that specializes in providing unbiased data on 529 savings plans. It has provided ratings on plans since 1999, frequently giving SMART529 plans high marks.
Last year, the organization unveiled a new “Top of the Class” category to identify “the very best of the best 529 plans,” which outscored more than 80 percent of peers in their category. Plans were evaluated based on four categories: Performance, Ease of Use, Savings Success and Program Delivery.
Nine plans out of 54 that are directly sold to consumers, and four plans out of 31 that are sold through financial advisors received the Top of the Class ratings, and all three of West Virginia’s SMART529 plans received top honors.
The SMART529 WV Direct Plan, which is available exclusively to West Virginia residents, and the SMART529 Select Plan, which is available to families nationwide, were two of the nine direct-sold plans receiving Top of the Class honors. The Hartford SMART529, which is sold through financial investment professionals, was one of the four advisor-sold plans to receive the honor.
A comparison of each of the three West Virginia SMART529 plans is available here: https://www.smart529.com/invest/smart529-plan-comparison-chart.html.
SMART529 is a qualified tuition program issued by the Board of Trustees of the West Virginia College and Jumpstart Savings Programs and administered by Hartford Funds. Complete information about SMART529 plans and investment options is available at www.SMART529.com.
