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Common Advisor Questions

Common Advisor Questions

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As an advisor, your questions are more specific than those that individuals might ask about Maryland 529. We’ve created this FAQ section just for you.

If you have a question that is not covered, please contact us.

Questions about both Plans

Does Maryland 529 pay a commission to advisors or brokers who recommend the Maryland Prepaid College Trust or the Maryland College Investment Plan to their clients?

Are there federal gift and/or estate tax benefits when contributing to either or both the Maryland Prepaid College Trust or Maryland College Investment Plan?

Are there Maryland tax benefits when contributing to either or both the Maryland Prepaid College Trust or the Maryland College Investment Plan?

How can funds be rolled over from another state’s 529 plan into the Maryland College Investment Plan and/or the Maryland Prepaid College Trust?

Are funds that are rolled over from another state’s 529 plan eligible for the Maryland Income Deduction?

What are considered “Qualified Higher Education Expenses”?

How can I host an informational session on Maryland's 529 Plan?

Questions Specific to the Maryland College Investment Plan


As an advisor, can I receive copies of my client’s quarterly Maryland College Investment Plan Account statements? Am I able to access my client’s accounts via the internet? Where can I obtain more detailed information about the investment options in the Maryland College Investment Plan? Has the Maryland College Investment Plan been rated by Morningstar?

Questions Specific to the Maryland Prepaid College Trust

Is Maryland Prepaid College Trust a 529 plan?

How is the Maryland Prepaid College Trust different from the Maryland College Investment Plan?

What does the Maryland Prepaid College Trust pay if the Beneficiary attends a Maryland public college?

Can the Maryland Prepaid College Trust be used if the Beneficiary attends an out-of-state or private college?

What is the Weighted Average Tuition?

What is the Minimum Benefit?

Who manages the funds that are paid into the Maryland Prepaid College Trust?

What is the Legislative Guarantee?

What is the funded status of the Maryland Prepaid College Trust?

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Disclosure Statement

Please read the entire Enrollment Kit carefully before deciding to enroll. The Maryland College Investment Plan Disclosure Statement provides investment objectives, risks, expenses and costs, Fees, and other information you should consider carefully before investing. If you or your beneficiary live outside of Maryland, you should compare Maryland 529 to any college savings program offered by your home state or your beneficiary’s home state, which may offer state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in such state’s 529 plan.

*Morningstar analysts reviewed 62 plans for its 2019 ratings (10/22/19), of which 13 plans received a “Silver” rating. To determine a plan’s rating, Morningstar’s analysts considered 5 factors: the plan’s strategy and investment process; the plan’s risk-adjusted performance; an assessment of the individuals managing the plan’s investment options; the stewardship practices of the plan’s administration and parent firm; and whether the plan’s investment options are a good value proposition compared with its peers. Plans were then assigned forward-looking ratings of “Gold,” “Silver,” “Bronze,” “Neutral,” and “Negative.” Each year, certain of the industry’s smallest plans are not rated.

Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar analysts’ current expectations about future events and, therefore, involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Morningstar’s expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Morningstar does not represent its Analyst Ratings to be guarantees.

Please read the entire Enrollment Kit carefully before deciding to enroll. The Maryland College Investment Plan Disclosure Statement provides investment objectives, risks, expenses and costs, Fees, and other information you should consider carefully before investing. If you or your beneficiary live outside of Maryland, you should compare Maryland 529 to any college savings program offered by your home state or your beneficiary’s home state, which may offer state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in such state’s 529 plan.

*Morningstar analysts reviewed 62 plans for its 2018 ratings (10/30/18), of which 10 plans received a “Silver” rating. To determine a plan’s rating, Morningstar’s analysts considered 5 factors: the plan’s strategy and investment process; the plan’s risk-adjusted performance; an assessment of the individuals managing the plan’s investment options; the stewardship practices of the plan’s administration and parent firm; and whether the plan’s investment options are a good value proposition compared with its peers. Plans were then assigned forward-looking ratings of “Gold,” “Silver,” “Bronze,” “Neutral,” and “Negative.” Each year, certain of the industry’s smallest plans are not rated.

Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar analysts’ current expectations about future events and, therefore, involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Morningstar’s expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Morningstar does not represent its Analyst Ratings to be guarantees.

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