College savings for every future

Understanding 529 plans and their benefits

Give the gift of knowledge, career skills and life-changing opportunities — in the form of a tax-advantaged, benefits-oriented college savings account that can be used for a variety of qualified higher education expenses.

What is a 529 plan?

Kick-start your college fund with an account that’s flexible, simple to manage and any earnings are tax-deferred!

A tax-advantaged way to save for college and other higher education expenses

Can be used for expenses like tuition, fees, computers, textbooks, and room and board1

A lower impact on financial aid qualification than many other investment options2

Can be opened with only $25 and in 15 minutes

What can an Edvest 529 college savings account do for me?

Tax-advantaged growth potential

With an Edvest 529 College Savings Plan account, you could save more with tax-deferred growth and 100% tax-free earnings for qualified withdrawals. Wisconsin taxpayers can also reduce their 2024 state taxable income up to $5,000 per year. When you pay less taxes, you have the ability to earn more and grow your college savings account faster—giving your beneficiary an even bigger head start!

Limitations apply.3

Tax-deferred growth can mean more money for college expenses.

Potential benefits of tax-deferred growth in 18 years*

Bar chart showing that $1 invested in an Edvest 529 account over an 18-year period could grow to $2.85.
Taxable Investment
$2.94
Tax-Deferred Investment
$3.61

Read about material differences between taxable investments and Edvest 529.

Graph Footnotes

Flexible spending

An Edvest 529 College Savings Plan can be used to pay for a wide range of qualifying educational expenses. Plus, you can withdraw money as needed for qualified expenses and even transfer funds to eligible beneficiaries at no cost.

  • Use your savings at colleges, universities, trade schools and community colleges, at graduate or post-graduate schools, professional programs, apprenticeships, and more.4
  • Pay for tuition, fees, computers, textbooks, room and board or off-campus rent, and other required expenses.
  • Pay for qualifying K-12 tuition expenses.4
  • Use your funds at eligible institutions in-state or anywhere in the world!
  • Even use for student loan repayment subject to a lifetime limit of $10,000 per individual.4

Low fees and expenses

Saving for college for your child shouldn’t break the bank. That's why investment expenses for the Edvest 529 College Savings Plan are less than half the average for direct-sold plans and less than one-third the average of what you'd pay for an advisor-sold plan.5

When you open an account, you can enjoy a variety of no-cost perks like:

  • NO application fees
  • NO cancellation fees
  • NO change–in–beneficiary fees
  • NO change–in–investment-portfolio fees
  • NO loads or sales charges
  • NO commissions
  • NO transfer fees

Investment Portfolios

The Edvest 529 College Savings Plan offers a variety of professionally managed investment portfolios to fit your life situation, risk tolerance and higher education savings goals. So, whether you’re a new or experienced investor, prefer to be hands-on or would rather “set it and forget it,” there’s a plan for you!

Investment Portfolios

The Edvest 529 College Savings Plan was created by the State of Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions selected TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (TFI) as the Direct Plan Manager. TFI is a wholly owned, subsidiary of TIAA, one of America’s leading financial services organizations for over 100 years.

Who We Are

What’s next?

How does this compare to other savings options?

Compare savings options

What are my investment options?

Explore investment portfolios

Ready to get started?

Have questions? Edvest 529 is here to help!

Read our FAQ

Speak with a consultant