Which college savings portfolio is right for me?
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When it comes to investing in a 529 plan, we all have the same goal: to help pay for education.
However, everyone’s investment strategy can look different depending on aspects of each person’s circumstances (like financial constraints and overall savings goals).
WA529 Invest investment choices
Choose from multiple portfolios to fit your preferences—aligning with your risk tolerance, preferred level of involvement and desired results. The risk tolerance questions can help determine what’s best for you.
Enrollment Year Investment Option
Consider this if:
You’re looking for an all-in-one solution to manage your savings over the long term without extra work on your part.
- A Portfolio customized to your student’s expected enrollment year
- Risk level automatically becomes more conservative as enrollment year approaches
Multi-Fund Investment Option
Consider this if:
You are an experienced investor and want portfolios with a fixed risk level rather than a risk level that changes as the beneficiary ages.
- Prefer added control over diversification and investment strategy
- Suitable for a variety of risk profiles and asset allocation blends
Single Fund Investment Option
Consider this if:
You are an experienced investor and want portfolios with a fixed risk level rather than a risk level that changes as the beneficiary ages.
- Portfolios invested solely in shares of a single underlying fund
- Offers varying investment types suitable for a variety of risk profiles, ranging from equity to fixed income
Guaranteed Investment Option
Consider this if:
You’re in a position of having a short-term investment horizon or are looking for a low-risk, conservative investment.
- Seeks to preserve capital and provide a stable return
To determine the right strategy for you, it may be helpful to ask yourself these questions:
- How much do I want to save?
- How fast do I want to save?
- How comfortable am I with risk?
- How hands-on do I want to be?
Whatever your answers may be, a WA529 Invest account offers a variety of professionally managed Portfolios to fit your life situation, risk tolerance and college savings goals. For further support, explore our planning tools to help make your investment decision easier.
Here are some of our most common Portfolio questions
Here’s where you find performance data for WA529 Invest Investment Portfolios.
WA529 Invest offers a variety of investment options to fit your life situation, risk tolerance and savings goals. These vary in investment strategy and degree of risk, allowing you to select a portfolio or combination of portfolios that fit your needs and savings goals.
To compare our WA529 Invest Portfolios, visit our Investment Comparison page. For more information on the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses, read the Program Details Booklet.
Yes. Each time you make a contribution, you may select from any of the WA529 Invest portfolios. Once invested in a particular portfolio, contributions and earnings may be transferred to another portfolio twice per calendar year or upon transfer of funds to a plan account for a different eligible beneficiary (see the Program Details Booklet for more information).
To transfer funds between investments, log in to your account, click “View Details” for your beneficiary, click “Change Investment Options,” then click “Continue” in the Exchange Now section. You may also request and submit by mail the Change of Investment Form.
A WA529 Invest account can be started with any amount. How much you need to save will depend on what you plan to use the money for and when.
A few helpful tools:
- Check out the College Savings Calculator to estimate the cost of college.
- Use our College Planning Calculator to see how your savings could add up over time.
