Agenda (session times subject to change)
DAY 1 - 2008 Boot Camp
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
8:15AM - 9:00AMThe 529 Landscape
9:10AM - 9:50AM
Fundamentals of 529
10:00AM - 10:50AM
529 Federal and State Income Taxes
11:00AM - 12:00PM
529 Gift and Estate Tax
Lunch
How to Earn 5 Caps for Your 529
1:15PM - 2:15PM
Plan Administration - Best Practices
2:30PM - 3:10PM
Comparison of College Savings Vehicles
3:20PM - 4:00PM
Impact of Savings on Financial Aid
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Reception
*Note: Please click here for links to published resources that will be discussed at the Boot Camp.
DAY 2 - Annual 529 Conference
Thursday, September 25, 2008
8:15AM - 8:30AM Welcome and Introduction
Tom Evans, President and CEO, Bankrate, Inc.
8:30AM - 9:30AM
Finding the Right Tack (Investments)
Over the past year we've seen the introduction of several new products including socially-responsible investments, women- and minority-managed funds, exchange-traded funds, and equity-indexed CDs. At the same time, age-based options continue to attract the lion's share of contributions. This panel will explore both the new and old in 529 savings plans. What is the menu of options that best serves the investor, the outside vendors, and the state? And how do current economic conditions influence investment selection?
Moderator:
Joe Hurley, Savingforcollege.com
Panelists:
Andrew Dierdorf, Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company, Inc.
Marc Friedberg, Wilshire Associates Incorporated
Steven Bleiberg, Legg Mason
Rob Nestor, Barclays Global Investors
9:45AM - 10:45AM
Waxing the Hull (Direct Sales)
As with any retail investment product, those who manage the sales and marketing budgets of 529 plans seek to maximize the effectiveness of the dollars they spend. Advertising, affiliate relationships, and third-party products and services can lead to higher direct-to-consumer sales. This panel will explore some of the marketing and support services available to 529 plans and discuss how to make the most effective use of those services.
Moderator:
Renee Doerre, Bankrate Inc.
Panelists:
Mary Nickeson, Archimedes Systems
Adam Bashe, FutureTrust
Dr. James Johnston, SAGE Scholars
11:00AM - 12:00PM
Bringing Advisors on Board (Advisor Sales)
This panel will examine and discuss what the 529 industry must do to "hike sales" in the advisor channel. What are the issues tying up advisors? Though advisors account for the vast majority of 529 sales, for most advisors their sales are typically "reactive" and in response to requests by their clients. Are 529 sales "small tickets" not worth the advisors' time and effort or could advisors be doing larger and more business with all the benefits that 529 plans may offer their clients? The ship is sailing and will the advisors be on board?
Moderator:
Chris Stack, Managing Consultant, Savingforcollege.com
Panelists:
Stephen Jobe, Morgan Stanley
Susie Bauer, Robert W. Baird & Co.
Chuck Toth, Merrill Lynch
Clint Gharib, J.P.Turner & Company, LLC
12:00PM - 1:15PM
Luncheon: The State of Higher Education
Matt Hamill, Senior Vice President, Advocacy and Issue Analysis at the National Association of College and University Business Officers and a veteran of our 529 Technical Conferences, returns again this year to share his unique and fascinating perspective on the challenges facing the entire higher education industry, from the costs of college to financing those bills, and how the seas may shift with the outcome of the November elections. Matt has a keen sense for which way the higher-education winds are blowing within the Beltway. His "crystal ball" has in the past proven remarkably accurate and he promises once again to be up to the challenge.
Luncheon speaker:
Matthew Hamill, NACUBO
1:30PM - 2:30PM
Charting Uncertain Tax Policy Waters (Tax Policy)
No other issue looms as large on the Washington scene this election year as the direction a new administration might take on tax policy. Listen to several renowned Washington experts reminisce on their experiences leading Clinton and Bush administration efforts with Section 529 and the Pension Protection Act, respectively, and probe their views on possible future developments for Section 529 plans under a new administration.
Moderator:
Rosemary Becchi, Becchi Consulting
Panelists:
Michael Desmond, McKee Nelson
Jonathan Talisman, Capitol Tax Partners
2:45PM -3:45PM
Capturing New Winds (Marketing)
Programs nationwide face the challenge of identifying new asset sources, particularly as some programs have reached a critical mass or tapped out the traditional channels for participation. State treasurers, along with their vendor-partners, will share their latest initiatives for finding new ways to grow their programs, including ways to leverage the public/private relationship.
Moderator:
Jackie Williams, Ohio Tuition Trust Authority
Panelists:
Joe Ciccariello, Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company, Inc.
Bill Raynor, OppenheimerFunds
Zeny Marie Agullana, California ScholarShare Investment Board
Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois State Treasurer
3:45PM - 4:00PM
Wrap-Up
4:30PM - 6:00PM
Reception
DAY 3
Friday, September 26, 2008
8:00AM - 9:00AM Setting the Rules of Navigation (Regulatory)
Without a federal regulator that directly oversees the college savings industry, the 529 industry has managed largely to police and regulate itself. Can it continue to do so without some added certainty? This panel will look at what's on the horizon for the college savings industry, and will include discussion of SEC, MSRB, and FINRA initiatives.
Moderator:
Andrea Feirstein, AKF Consulting
Panelists:
Ernie Lanza, MSRB
Tamara Salmon, Investment Company Institute
Malcolm Northam, FINRA
9:00AM - 10:00AM
Team 529 Sets Sail (Industry Challenges)
This moderated open discussion offers all conference participants the opportunity to share thoughts about the most critical challenges facing the 529 industry and the best ways to meet those challenges. We'll pick up on points raised during the prior day's panel discussions, raise new questions, and solicit ideas for collaboration. By putting all our thoughts together, we can be even more effective in helping families save and pay for college and spurring the growth of 529 plans.
Moderators:
Jamie Canup, Troutman Sanders
Dr. Peter Mazareas, Strategic Advancement Group
Andrea Feirstein, AKF Consulting
Joe Hurley, Savingforcollege.com
10:00AM
Adjournment
