Getting Started
Setting up a Brighter Future Advisor Plan account for your clients is easy; follow these 4 simple steps.
Get approval by Ascensus to sell the Brighter Future Advisor Plan
Establish your firm with Ascensus. Call 888.529.9552 to speak with a Specialist before completing your client's enrollment application.
Open an account
Fill out the Brighter Future Advisor Plan enrollment application (electronically or download), have your client sign the form, and mail it to the address provided on the enrollment application.
Select the investment mix
The Brighter Future Advisor Plan offers a wide range of portfolio options allowing you to customize an investment strategy that best fits your client's college savings goals.
You're in control. Choose from portfolios managed to a specific Year-of-Enrollment or Risk Tolerance, or build a Custom Allocation using Individual iShares Portfolios.
Fund the account
Accounts can be opened for as little as an initial contribution of $500 and subsequent contributions of $50, or with a Rollover from another 529 plan.
Information you'll need
Having the following information at hand will speed you through the account application process:
- Client information We must obtain your client's name, physical address, birth date, and Social Security or taxpayer-identification number, which will be used to verify their identity.
- Designated beneficiary information The Social Security or taxpayer-identification number and birth date of the person that the account owner will name as the Designated Beneficiary.
- Bank information A check (which displays the bank account number and routing number) if account funding will be via electronic bank transfer or periodic electronic bank transfers from your clients’ bank account to their Brighter Future Advisor Plan account.
- Investment options Work with your client to identify the right mix of investment options.
Get approval by Ascensus to sell the Brighter Future Advisor Plan
Establish your firm with Ascensus. Call 888.529.9552 to speak with a Specialist before completing your client's enrollment application.
Open an account
Fill out the Brighter Future Advisor Plan enrollment application (electronically or download), have your client sign the form, and mail it to the address provided on the enrollment application.
Select the investment mix
The Brighter Future Advisor Plan offers a wide range of portfolio options allowing you to customize an investment strategy that best fits your client's college savings goals.
You're in control. Choose from portfolios managed to a specific Year-of-Enrollment or Risk Tolerance, or build a Custom Allocation using Individual iShares Portfolios.
Fund the account
Accounts can be opened for as little as an initial contribution of $500 and subsequent contributions of $50, or with a Rollover from another 529 plan.
Information you'll need
Having the following information at hand will speed you through the account application process:
- Client information We must obtain your client's name, physical address, birth date, and Social Security or taxpayer-identification number, which will be used to verify their identity.
- Designated beneficiary information The Social Security or taxpayer-identification number and birth date of the person that the account owner will name as the Designated Beneficiary.
- Bank information A check (which displays the bank account number and routing number) if account funding will be via electronic bank transfer or periodic electronic bank transfers from your clients’ bank account to their Brighter Future Advisor Plan account.
- Investment options Work with your client to identify the right mix of investment options.
Working with your Financial Professional, setting up and using a Brighter Future Advisor Plan is easy. Get started today and start saving.
You, as the Account Owner, name a Beneficiary (the student for whom you're saving) when you open an account. The Beneficiary can be a child, relative, spouse - even yourself. You and your Financial Professional pick the portfolio that's right for you.
Funding a Brighter Future Advisor 529 Plan account is easy
You can open an account for as little as an initial contribution of $500 and subsequent contributions of $50. The maximum contribution amount is $500,000 per Beneficiary, from all sources (including other 529 plans sponsored by the State of Arkansas).1
Contributions can be made by payroll deduction or bank transfers
You can set up an Automatic Investment Plan for as little as $50 per month/$150 per quarter from accounts held at a U.S. bank, savings and loan association, or credit union that is a member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network.2
You can also arrange for payroll direct deposit from participating employers for as little as $25 per pay period. Ask for it at work!
1The aggregate balance of all 529 plan accounts sponsored by the State of Arkansas for the same designated Beneficiary may not exceed $500,000.
2A periodic investment plan cannot assume a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market.
Looking to manage an existing account?
Your client's needs may change down the road. Like all 529 plans, the Brighter Future Advisor Plan allows you to change their overall asset allocation in an annual exchange, twice per calendar year. What's more, the allocation of future contributions can be changed at any time.
Manage your client's account
- Choose from portfolios focused on specific asset classes or year-of-enrollment, or build custom portfolios to meet your client's needs.
- Easily transact and navigate between accounts.
- See account performance and history with charts and graphs.
- Easily manage account settings.
- View and download statements, confirmations, and tax statements.
