Investment Portfolios | Bright Directions

Choose the right course for you.

Bright Directions is proud to present a wide variety of investment options. Investors working with their financial advisor can select from 4 Age-Based Portfolios, 7 Target Portfolios, and 37 Individual Fund Portfolios. These investment options are from a number of well-respected mutual fund families including T. Rowe Price, Dodge & Cox, BlackRock, and DFA.

All portfolios benefit from the investment oversight of Wilshire, a leading global investment consulting firm that provides Bright Directions with portfolio design, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring services. Wilshire originated the now-named Dow Jones Wilshire 5000SM Composite Index and other market indexes and has been helping individuals achieve their investment goals for more than 30 years.

Age-Based Portfolios

Investing simplified. The professionally designed Age-Based Portfolios focus your investment strategy on the current age of the beneficiary. The objective is to create growth potential in the early years and reduce fluctuations in the account as college approaches. You choose the option (aggressive, moderate, or conservative) that matches your investing style.

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Target Portfolios

Investment that stays the course. Choose from seven diversified investment portfolios, ranging from aggressive to conservative, provide a set asset allocation of equity (stock), fixed income (bond), and money market/bank account investments. The portfolio you select will be rebalanced on an ongoing basis to maintain the targeted asset allocation regardless of the age of the beneficiary.

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Individual Fund Portfolios

Build your own portfolio. The more than 36 Individual Fund Portfolios, representing multiple asset classes, allow you the freedom to tailor your choices to meet specific education investment goals. Working with your financial professional, you select a combination of individual funds that range from lower risk/lower return to higher risk/higher return investment options.

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Portfolios for Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs)

Personalize your approach. Bright Directions offers even more choice and flexibility for RIAs and fee-only planners under Fee Structure F. To supplement the Individual Fund Portfolios, the program also offers 15 portfolios with exchange-traded funds as the underlying investment. More choice, more diversity, more flexibility—Bright Directions is a one-stop shop for all your 529 investing needs.

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A Word About Risk: Keep in mind that you can lose money by investing in a portfolio. Each of the Age-Based, Target, and Individual Fund Portfolios involves investment risks, which are described in the Program Disclosure Statement and should be considered before investing. For example, international investing, especially in emerging markets, has additional risks such as currency fluctuation, economic and political risks, and market volatility. Investing in small, medium, and international companies may increase the risk of fluctuations in the value of your investment and involves greater risks than investing in more established companies. Portfolios that invest in specific industries or sectors, such as real estate, have industry concentration risk. As an example, the portfolios that invest in real estate may perform poorly during a downturn in the real estate industry.

Portfolios that invest in bonds are subject to risks such as interest rate risk, credit risk, and inflation risk. In particular, as interest rates rise, the prices of bonds will generally fall, which can impact performance. It is important to note that the value of your account will fluctuate with market conditions. When you withdraw funds, you may have more or less than your actual investment. For more information on the portfolios and the underlying funds in which they invest, see the Program Disclosure Statement.