OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A website devoted to researching state sponsored 529 college savings plans around the country recently ranked Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan among the top-performing advisor-sold plans, over the latest one-year and three-year periods.
According to savingforcollege.com in its most recent quarterly review, Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan, the largest 529 plan sponsored by Arizona, with underlying investments from the Ivy Funds and Waddell & Reed Advisors Funds, was the best performing advisor-sold 529 plan over the one-year period ended Dec. 31, 2013, out of 30 plans. The plan also was ranked fourth over the three-year period ended Dec. 31, 2013, out of 28 plans. Plans sold directly to consumers are ranked separately.
Each quarter, www.savingforcollege.com analyzes the investment performance figures for hundreds of 529 portfolios and ranks advisor-sold 529 savings plans from best to worst for investment performance over multiple time periods.
“The Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan has performed consistently well and has remained an attractive college savings option for families. The popularity of the InvestEd plan is evident because it holds 61% of the college savings dollars in the Arizona Family College Savings Program,” said Dr. April L. Osborn, executive director of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education.
The percentile scores are derived from an average of representative portfolios, which savingforcollege.com selected to better compare plans equitably. The website selected specific portfolios from each 529 plan, or hundreds of investments, that can be compared on an apples-to-apples basis to portfolios in other 529 plans based on their allocation among stocks, bonds, and short-term instruments (money market and guaranteed investments). They set up seven different asset-allocation categories ranging from 100% equity to 100% fixed-income. Rankings do include maximum sales charges. The Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan ranked 13th out of 20 plans for the five-year period, but does not yet have enough portfolios with the performance history to be included in the 10-year rankings. For more information on the rankings, visit www.savingforcollege.com.
The Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan includes three actively managed age-based or static portfolios and 16 individual portfolios. The age-based and static portfolios are actively managed fund of funds. The underlying investments are from Waddell & Reed Advisors Funds. The individual portfolios are actively managed portfolios from Ivy Funds. For more information about the Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan or 529 plans in general, contact your local financial advisor or visit www.invested529.com.
Ivy Funds and Waddell & Reed Advisors Funds again both turned in a strong showing in the latest Barron’s ranking of the “Best Mutual Fund Families,” published Feb. 8, 2014. Ivy Funds ranked No. 1 over the past 10 years, out of 48 firms, and No. 5 over the past five years, out of 55 firms. It continues a string of strong performance for Ivy, as the fund family has appeared in the top five of the 10-year ranking since 2010 and in the top five of the 5-year ranking since 2008. Ivy Funds narrowly missed the top 10 over one year, ranking No. 11 out of 64 firms. Making the top 10 across all three time periods, Waddell & Reed Advisors Funds ranked No. 5 out of 64 fund families over the past 12 months. The fund family ranked No. 9 over the five-year period, out of 55 firms, and has been in the top 10 of that period for five of the past six years. It ranked No. 4 over the 10-year period out of 48 firms.
Barron’s rankings (published Feb. 8, 2014) are based on asset-weighted returns in five categories: domestic equity, world equity (including international and global portfolios), mixed asset (stocks and bonds), taxable bonds and tax exempt bonds. Rankings also take into account an individual fund’s performance within its Lipper peer group. Sales charges are not included in the calculation of returns, and the ranking period included time periods during which some funds’ returns were affected by expense reduction arrangements.
The Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan is offered by Waddell & Reed, Inc. as part of the Arizona Family College Savings Program (the “Program”). Waddell & Reed, Inc. is one of multiple financial institutions eligible to offer investments under the Program. Non-residents or taxpayers of states other than Arizona should consider participating in the 529 plan(s) available in their state of residence, as such plan(s) may offer more favorable state income tax or other benefits than those offered under the Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan. Please consult your tax advisor regarding your personal tax situation. Accounts are not insured by the State of Arizona, the Trust, the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, or any other governmental entity, Waddell & Reed, Inc., or any affiliated or related party, and neither the principal deposited nor the investment return is guaranteed by any of the above referenced parties.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses associated with the Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan carefully before investing. This and other information is found in the Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan Program Overview, the Ivy Funds InvestEd 529 Plan Account Application, and the prospectuses, or if available, summary prospectuses, all of which can be obtained from your financial advisor. Please read these materials carefully before investing. An investor should also consider, before investing, whether the investor’s or designated beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state’s 529 college savings plan.
Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and it is possible to lose money by investing. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a fund carefully before investing. For a prospectus, or if available, a summary prospectus, containing this and other information for a fund, call your financial advisor or visit www.ivyfunds.com or www.waddell.com. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.
Ivy Funds and Waddell & Reed Advisors Funds are distributed by Ivy Funds Distributor, Inc. and Waddell & Reed, Inc., respectively.
