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Direct Portfolio

This plan offers 529 investment options from conservative to aggressive to appeal to any family’s situation, saving goals, and investment preferences.

plan managed by:

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Direct Portfolio

Multiple ways to contribute

  • Open your account with as little as $25; $15 for additional contributions
  • By check, direct deposit, or EBTs
  • Rollovers from other qualified savings funds

Online account management

  • 24-hour access; view all of your accounts in one place
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Set up advance email notifications of account activity
  • Your online Security

Low fees

  • Colorado residents – 0.29% asset-based management fee
  • Non-Colorado residents – 0.29% plus $20 annual fee
  • Fee reductions are available for electronic document delivery or minimum balance elections

Earn free savings for college

Take advantage of Upromise® that returns a percentage of your eligible spending at hundreds of America’s leading companies and transfers that money periodically to your plan account, subject to a minimum amount.¹

¹Funds in a Upromise account will not be transferred until earnings reach a minimum amount. Go to upromise.com for more information on transfer minimums. Upromise is offered by Upromise, Inc. and is separate from the Plan.

Investment options

Choosing an investment option that fits your family’s budget and specific investment strategy is important. Since your family is unique, we offer eleven different 529 investment options ranging from conservative to aggressive. Choose from Age-Based options, managed by a professional, or select your own investments with our Blended and Individual options.

Direct Portfolio Age-Based Investment Options

If you prefer an investment option managed by a professional, our Age-Based options could be the right choice for you.

Learn about age-based investment options

Direct Portfolio Blended and Individual Investment Options

If you’re comfortable choosing your own investments and managing them directly, the Blended or Individual options could be the better choice.

Learn about blended and individual investment options

Investment Management by Vanguard

When you choose the CollegeInvest Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan, you gain the expertise of Vanguard, one of the world’s largest and most trusted investment management companies.

Vanguard offers you an impressive package: time-tested investment principles, client-focused values, and costs that are among the lowest in the mutual fund industry. Vanguard focuses on attaining superior long-term performance for investors rather than chasing the latest market fad.

All of these factors work together to help you reach your savings goals.

Frequently asked questions about Direct Portfolio

How much am I going to need?

You don’t need much to get started, only $25 when you enroll, and subsequent contributions can be as little as $15.

The total amount you save completely depends on your family’s goals and resources. A common goal is to save enough to cover one-third the total cost of college for your student. The earlier you tackle saving for college, the better off you’ll be in the end, and the best time to start is now.

Am I going to lose this money if I don’t use it for college?

What if my student gets a scholarship or decides not to go to college? 529 Plans are very flexible, and you have several options.

  • You can simply hold on to the funds in case the circumstances change.
  • You can always change the Beneficiary to another family member with no impact to your savings. You can even name naming yourself or your spouse as the Beneficiary and use it go back to school. Or, a lifetime opportunity such as culinary, art, or music classes, oceanography, or special interest studies, here in the United States or abroad.
  • In the case where the student receives a scholarship, your Direct Portfolio savings can be used to cover other qualified expenses not covered by that specific scholarship.
  • Or you can withdraw the funds and close the account altogether, but the earnings will be subject to federal and state income taxes in addition to a 10% federal penalty. They may also be subject to recovery for any previous state income tax deductions you exercised.

How much do I need to know about investing to manage a college savings account?

Some types of investments can be managed for you, like age-based options where your funds are automatically moved toward more conservative investments as your student ages toward going to college.

But it’s also good to have some basic investing knowledge – it’s not hard to learn, and it will help you save for any goal. We’ll teach you the few important things you need to understand.

Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money, including principal, by investing in these options.