Welcome to the CollegeAdvantage
customer service e-center  

Download forms, find information on contribution methods, making withdrawals, making changes to your account and more by following the links at left.

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You can call us at 1-800-AFFORD-IT (233-6734) 24 hours a day to obtain your account balance and most recent account transaction.

Holiday and end of year operating schedule 2009

The new and improved CollegeAdvantage Refer a Friend Program: Now earn $50 for you and $25 for your friends and family!

It's back! For a limited time, CollegeAdvantage is once again offering the popular Refer a Friend Program. Now you can earn a $50 referral bonus each time your friends and family open a CollegeAdvantage account. To encourage your friends and family to get started saving for college, they will also earn a $25 referral bonus just for opening the account. But don’t wait; this offer is for a limited time only. Friends and family must open an account by December 15, 2009 in order for both of you to receive the referral bonus. The referral bonus will be applied directly to your designated CollegeAdvantage account.
Click here for program rules and details on how you can easily earn $50!

Systematic Savings Incentive Offer – earn $25 for your account
Earn $25 for your account when you start a new recurring monthly electronic funds transfer (EFT) or payroll deduction between September 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. The $25 bonus will be applied to your CollegeAdvantage direct account 90 days after you start the new recurring EFT or payroll deduction and meet the following requirements:
•A minimum of $25 must be deducted per month.
•The EFT or payroll deduction must still be active after 90 days.
•For EFT only, a minimum of three EFT pulls must have occurred within the 90 day period.
•For payroll deduction only, at least one payroll submission must be remitted by your employer, and the payroll deduction applied to your account within the 90 day period.
Click here for program rules and details.

Payout rates for the Guaranteed Savings Fund effective August 1, 2009 for academic year 2009–2010:
Tuition Units: $86.33
Tuition Credits: $99.28

The Guaranteed Savings Fund investment option has been suspended since 2003. The suspension has been extended through December 2009. The code for completing Withdrawal Request Forms for the Guaranteed Savings Fund is GAR.

Morningstar rates Ohio's 529 plan as "Top 5" college savings plan in the nation
Morningstar Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research, has named Ohio’s CollegeAdvantage 529 direct plan as one of the top five college savings plans in the nation in a report that was released April 23, 2009. In reviewing the Ohio direct plan Morningstar stated that “the strong investment options, low costs, and good flexibility make this plan tough to beat for Ohio residents.” In rating each state’s 529 plan, Morningstar focused on features such as fees, investment quality, asset allocation and flexibility. The Morningstar report can be viewed online by visiting www.morningstar.com.

Morningstar also prefers Ohio’s innovative plan structure, stating “the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority not only created the plan, but it also manages it directly. This setup is rare in the 529 universe and it gives OTTA more freedom to choose from a variety of mutual fund families, such as Vanguard, PIMCO, GE Asset Management and Fifth Third Bank (for CD options.)”

The Wall Street Journal praises Ohio's bank options
Ohio's 529 bank options were recently noted in the Wall Street Journal's "The Intelligent Investor" column written by Jason Zwieg on March 20, 2009. Zwieg mentions Ohio bank options in the column: "For young children, consider the remarkable deal offered by Ohio's 529; Federally insured certificates of deposit from Fifth Third Bancorp with maturities of up to 12 years at yields as high as 5%. But it is tough to beat a risk-free 5% return exempt from federal income tax. What a tragedy that more states didn't offer similar options before it was too late." 

Economic stimulus bill adds computer expenses as qualified higher education expense
Under the recently-enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the list of Section 529 qualified higher education expenses is expanded to include expenses paid or incurred in 2009 and 2010 for the purchase of any computer technology, equipment or Internet access and related services to be used by the beneficiary’s family during any of the years the beneficiary is enrolled at an eligible educational institution. Not eligible are the expenses for computer software designed for sports, games or hobbies, unless the software is predominately educational in nature. This expansion applies only to years 2009 and 2010; starting again in 2011, computers etc. do not qualify unless required by the educational institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance.

Reallocations allowed twice per year in 2009
The annual once per year IRS reallocation rule for 529 plans has been temporarily increased to twice per year in 2009 to give you more flexibility to manage your account. Click here to learn more.

FDIC insurance amount increase extended to 2013
If you participate in the Fifth Third Bank options, you may be pleased to note that effective October 3, 2008, FDIC deposit insurance temporarily increased from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor, through December 31, 2009. Effective May 19, 2009, this increase was extended through December 31, 2013. For more information on FDIC insurance, visit www.fdic.gov. 

Saving for college in a volatile market
If you are like most people, the current market conditions can cause concern when you see your long-term investment accounts, including college savings and retirement plans, lose value when you get your account statement. You may want to read the following document as you review your statement and market conditions remain volatile. Saving for college in a volatile market