"An advisor is entitled to a fee. A salesperson needs to get paid as well"
Agreed, I suppose "bogus" was a little strong. Still, I'm confident I can direct the investments just as well, for no fee. No selling is involved beyond the first sale -- to pay 4.75% each month is egregious.
My own VA College America plan has no such repeat sales fee, only an annual maintenance fee.
Buyer beware, I suppose. It just irks me that my financially illiterate father appears to have been taken for a ride. I suppose I have to not only provide him the materials, and the comparisons, but highlight the differences for him as well.
On the exit costs, the only thing I could find was that PA might tax the earnings if we roll the bad 529 into a new, cheaper one. Anyone know whether this is true?
I'm curious as to why the PA GSP might be favorable to, say, the UT GSP, when the child and the parents live in VA, but the g-parents live in PA. AFAIK, the g-parents aren't getting a state tax deduction for their contributions, and no change in that law is pending. Which upfront discounts are you referring to? I assume you're talking about something different than switching from C to B to A shares, which would depend on the investment vehicle chosen, right?