The Nebraska State Treasurer's office says assets of the NEST college savings plan have reached a record $4.5 billion.
State Treasurer Don Stenberg says the state-sponsored 529 college savings program hit the mark as of June 30. The program maintains more than 252,000 active accounts across the country, and 76,000 of those are owned by Nebraskans.
Stenberg says more than 20,000 new accounts have been added annually since 2011, with 10,162 new accounts added so far in 2017. Stenberg says the total assets in NEST have increased by 87.5 percent since December 2010.
He attributed the growth, in part, to ongoing efforts to make parents and grandparents aware of NEST and the benefits it offers families looking for ways to save for college for their children and grandchildren.
