COLLEGEINVEST’S SCHOLARS CHOICE STAYS ON TOP WITH HIGHEST PERFORMANCE RANKINGS
Latest rankings by SavingforCollege.com show CollegeInvest’s advisor-sold plan earns high marks for 15th consecutive quarter.
Denver, CO, September 4, 2013 — CollegeInvest announced today that its Scholars Choice College Savings Program has been recognized as the #1-ranked advisor-sold 529 plan based on investment performance for both the three- and five-year periods ending June 30, 2013, including and excluding the impact of sales charges. In addition, the plan was again recognized among the top 4-performing advisor-sold 529 plans by Savingforcollege.com—a distinction it has now secured for fifteen consecutive quarterly rolling 1-year periods.
“Saving for college is more important than ever,” commented Angela Baier, CollegeInvest’s CEO. “We are proud to offer Colorado families the very best savings plans available, including the highly rated Scholar’s Choice.”
“With recent federal changes that will likely make student loans more expensive in the future, parents need to start saving for college even earlier," noted Joe Hurley, founder of Savingforcollege.com. "Parents and financial professionals are looking to get a jumpstart with 529s that perform well.”
Savingforcollege.com — an independent informational website owned by Saving for College, LLC — is generally regarded by industry professionals as one of the leading experts on college savings. Scholars Choice is managed by Legg Mason’s independent investment firm, Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, and distributed by Legg Mason Investor Services, for the State of Colorado.
All Savingforcollege.com rankings are as of June 30, 2013 and are based on the universe of 30 advisor-sold plans for Class A share performance (including maximum sales charges). The portfolios within the plans are compared and ranked based on published investment returns. The plan’s composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking. The program ranked 2, 1, 1 and 9 for the quarterly rolling 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance and rankings discussed are inherently limited and are not indicative of longer-term performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than performance results used for these rankings, resulting in different rankings that may be lower than those shown. Market volatility, interest-rate changes and economic events, among other factors, can affect an investment’s short-term returns.
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About CollegeInvest
CollegeInvest is Colorado’s foremost resource designed specifically to help break down the financial barriers to attaining a higher education. By providing expert information, easy-to-use planning tools, and an exceptionally diverse menu of tax advantaged college savings plans, CollegeInvest works to help Coloradoans maximize their potential to save for college. CollegeInvest currently represents nearly $5 billion in savings, and more than 320,000 families. Money saved in a CollegeInvest 529 savings plan can be used at any public or private college, university, community college or vocational school, anywhere in the country. For more information, visit collegeinvest.org or call 1-800-448-2424, or contact your financial advisor.
Important Considerations
To learn about CollegeInvest’s 529 program, its objectives, risks, charges, expenses, limitations, restrictions and qualifications regarding the Plans’ benefits and potential tax advantages, please read and consider carefully the Program Disclosure Statements (PDS) available at www.collegeinvest.org before investing. Administered and issued by CollegeInvest. CollegeInvest and the CollegeInvest logo are registered trademarks of CollegeInvest. Copyright © 2013 CollegeInvest.
Ranking Methodology
Savingforcollege.com derives the rankings using each plan’s relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories: 100% Equity, 80% Equity, 60% Equity, 40% Equity, 20% Equity, 100% Fixed and 100% Short Term. The plan’s composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in these categories. Within each category, portfolios are compared and ranked based on published investment returns. Separate rankings are produced for one-, three-, five-, and ten-year periods. In addition, two versions of rankings for each performance period are produced: one based on performance without sales charges and the other based on performance with maximum sales charges. Please visit savingforcollege.com for more information about the ranking.
Additional unit classes may exist for each plan ranked. Please refer to each plan’s program disclosure statement for more information regarding its performance, fees and expenses. For Scholars Choice’s program disclosure statement, please visit scholars-choice.com.
About Legg Mason
• A leading global investment company with $656 billion* in assets invested worldwide, focused on long-term, actively managed strategies
• A diverse family of specialized investment managers, each with its own independent approach to research and analysis
• Over a century of experience in identifying opportunities and delivering astute investment solutions to clients in equities, fixed income and alternatives
About Scholars Choice
The Scholars Choice College Savings Program is the advisor-sold College Savings Program for the State of Colorado and is also used by investors and financial advisors throughout the U.S. It is one of the largest advisor-sold 529 college savings plans1, with assets of over $3.2 billion*. Scholars Choice is managed by Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC and primarily distributed by Legg Mason Investors Services, LLC. It is one of the lowest-cost advisor-sold 529 college savings plans2.
Scholars Choice offers seven Age-Based Portfolios, five Years-to-Enrollment portfolios, and six Static Portfolios. Investment options encompass a wide range of carefully constructed portfolios consisting of funds managed by Legg Mason affiliates including Batterymarch Financial Management, Brandywine Global Investment Management, ClearBridge Investments, Royce & Associates and Western Asset Management; and one unaffiliated fund managed by Thornburg Investment Management.
Important Information
The ranking is based on short-term performance (i.e., rolling 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods). The performance and ranking discussed are inherently limited and not indicative of longer-term performance. This information should not be the sole basis for any investment decision. Market volatility, interest-rate changes and economic events, among other factors, can affect an investment’s short-term returns.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than performance results used for this ranking, resulting in different rankings that may be lower than those shown.
An investor should consider the Program’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. The Program Disclosure Statement at scholars-choice.com, which contains more information, should be read carefully before investing. If an investor and/or an investor’s beneficiary are not Colorado taxpayers, they should consider before investing whether their home states offer 529 plans that provide state tax and other benefits only available to state taxpayers investing in such plans.
Investments in the Scholars Choice College Savings Program are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency and are not deposits or other obligations of any depository institution. Investments are not guaranteed by the State of Colorado; CollegeInvest, Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC; Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC; or Legg Mason, Inc. or its affiliates, and are subject to investment risks, including loss of principal amount invested.
Scholars Choice is a registered service mark of CollegeInvest. CollegeInvest and the CollegeInvest logo are registered trademarks. Administered and issued by CollegeInvest, State of Colorado. Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC, Investment Manager. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC is the primary distributor of interest in the Program; together, they serve as Manager of the Program. Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC; ClearBridge Investments, LLC; Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc.; Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC; Royce & Associates, LLC; Western Asset Management Company and Western Asset Management Company Limited; and Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC are Legg Mason, Inc. affiliates. Thornburg Investment Management, Inc. is not affiliated with Legg Mason Inc. and its affiliates.
*As of 7/31/13.
1 Source: Financial Research Corporation, “2Q13 College Savings Quarterly Update.”
2 Source: Financial Research Corporation, “529 College Savings Quarterly Fee Analysis, Second Quarter 2013.”
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