First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced today that the Nebraska Education Savings Trust (NEST) has surpassed $5 billion in assets. Collectively, the four plans in the trust also grew to more than a quarter of a million accounts.
“Reaching the $5 billion milestone represents a promising trend: Increasingly more families are prioritizing the academic future of their children and are taking measures to financially prepare for the expenses associated with higher education,” said Treasurer Stenberg, Trustee of NEST. “In addition, this accomplishment reflects the continued success of NEST under our strong partnership with First National Bank of Omaha.”
The total NEST 529 assets are managed across four plans: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan and State Farm 529 Savings Plan. The variety of investment options offered by these plans empowers families to choose the option that best fits the ages of their children, their budgets and their investment philosophies. Currently the NEST Direct College Savings Plan holds the most assets at more than $2.1 billion and 78,000 active accounts.
“Over the years, we have continually improved our plans by lowering fees and realigning investment options to best serve the needs of our account owners—the most recent of which took effect in July,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha. “This achievement motivates us to continue offering strong savings plans for families as they pursue their academic goals and dreams.”
For more information about NEST, visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov.
About NEST 529
NEST 529 is a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan and provides four plans to help make saving for college simple and affordable: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, the NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, the Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan, and the State Farm 529 Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as Program Trustee. Union Bank & Trust Company serves as Program Manager, and all investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council. Families nationwide are saving for college using Nebraska’s 529 College Savings Plans, which have more than 297,000 accounts, including over 97,000 Nebraskans. Visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov for more information.
About First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska and its affiliates have more than $23 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.
