Did you know that the University of Alaska is home to one of the highest ranked 529 education savings plans in the country and that it just launched a very generous incentive program?  

For more than 20 years, Alaska 529 has made it easy to save for education in Alaska and study anywhere. The tax-advantaged accounts offer unique benefits such as the ability for Alaska residents to invest through the PFD, and the University of Alaska Portfolio, which has a tuition-value guarantee. Alaska 529 receives consistently high rankings from saveforcollege.com, a website that ranks every 529 plan based on investment performance.

Modest investments in a young person’s education savings can increase their chances of pursuing higher education and graduating. In fact, children with $500 or less saved for college are three times more likely to enroll, and four times more likely to graduate. That trend is proved out in the data for low to moderate income children, too. “My goal is for every child in Alaska to have an account with dedicated funds for future education expenses. The benefits are immense, and the starting cost is low; it only takes $25 to open an account,” said Lael Oldmixon, executive director of Alaska 529.

This month, Alaska 529 leveled up their benefits when it launched the new Dash to Save™ and Dash to Save More™ incentive programs aimed at reducing the burden of paying for higher education for Alaska students. The new incentive programs offer unique benefits not found elsewhere, including: 

• A $250 payment to the first 5,000 qualifying, new Alaska 529 accounts opened in 2022 with a minimum investment of only $25 during the calendar year.

• An additional $50 contribution to accounts (new and existing) for automatic monthly contribution and/or payroll direct deposit of at least $25. 

“Alaska 529 is an amazing tool for families, even without the incentive programs,” Oldmixon said. “We’re hoping that the incentives will push more families toward getting started, and right away.”

The Dash to Save and Dash to Save More programs are funded by the Education Trust of Alaska’s investment earnings. which means no State of Alaska general fund dollars are used.

More information, including program terms and conditions, is available at Alaska529plan.com/DashtoSave.