IDAHO

Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal)

Type: Savings

Phone: 866-433-2533

State tax deduction for residents: Contributions deductible up to $8,000 per year per couple

Open to nonresidents: Yes

Refund provisions: Federal enalty of 10% of earnings, state penalty of 10% of earnings, plus 100% of principal and 200% of earnings are taxed to Idaho residents

Minimum/maximum contributions: $25 / $235,000

Idaho's plan, run by TIAA-CREF, has low expenses but not much flexibility. It offers just three investment choices. The age-based portfolio is conservative, with bonds outweighing stocks by about age 9. You also can invest some or all of your money in a 100% equity fund or a fixed-income fund that guarantees a return of at least 3%. Portfolios that hold mostly stocks have lagged over the past three years, while those with mostly bonds have perfomred well.

The annual asset-based management fee is modest at 0.7%. Investment management fees for the underlying funds range from 0.16% to 0.23%.

State College Savings Plans