Enrollment: Enroll through a broker or fee-only financial advisor - Blankenship Financial Planning can provide you with access to this plan for a flat fee - no commissions or ongoing asset-based fee!

State agency(s): State Treasurer of the State of Illinois

Program manager: Union Bank and Trust Company of Lincoln, Nebraska

Program distributor: Northern Trust Securities, Inc.

Are there any state residency requirements? No

Are there any age, grade, or relationship requirements as to the beneficiary at the time of enrollment? No

State tax benefits and other enhancements: Contributions up to $10,000 per contributor per year may be deducted from Illinois taxable income; for rollover contributions, only the principal portion can be counted; qualified distributions are exempt from Illinois income tax.

Are qualified distributions from out-of-state 529 plans exempt from this state's income tax? No, Illinois statute requires add-back of federal exclusion

Outside backing or guarantees: None

Maximum contributions: Accepts contributions until all IL account balances for same beneficiary reach $320,000

Minimum contributions: none

Is there an enrollment or application fee? $10

Is there an account maintenance fee? $3 per quarter

Is there an annual asset-based program management fee? 0.45% plus distribution/servicing fees of 0.25% (classes A and E), 0.50% (class C), or 0% (class F)

Expenses of the underlying investments: Approximate range is 0.28% to 0.58% in the age-based and target portfolios (portfolio weighted average), and 0.12% to 1.21% in the individual fund portfolios

Does the program offer an age-based or years-to-enrollment investment option? Yes

Does the program offer static investment options? Yes, 7 target fund portfolios and 25 individual fund portfolios

Underlying funds and investments: PIMCO, Fidelity, DFA, American Century, Northern Funds, Legg Mason, William Blair, AllianceBernstein, Ariel Capital, T. Rowe Price, Barclays Global Investors, and Calvert mutual funds are offered