2015 Ten-year Top Performing Direct Plans Q3

Savingforcollege.com ranks the performance of direct-sold 529 plans. Direct-sold plans are those that consumers can enroll in without using a broker. We have prepared both one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. We selected portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds and money market funds, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven asset-allocation categories. The lower the "percentile," the better the ranking. This ranking could be a useful tool for you when selecting which direct 529 plan might be right for you. Here are our 529 performance rankings as of September 30, 2015 for Direct-sold 529 plans. Ten-year performance ranking (click here for one-year performance table, three-year performance table, and five-year performance table,) : Rank State Plan Performance score 1 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 24.81 Plan Details 2 Louisiana START Saving Program 30.00 Plan Details 3 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 33.24 4 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 34.46 5 Florida Florida 529 Savings Plan 36.20 Plan Details 6 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 36.92 Enroll Now 7 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 39.38 8 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 40.52 Enroll Now 9 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 40.65 Plan Details 10 Virginia Virginia529 inVEST 41.16 Enroll Now 11 Iowa College Savings Iowa 41.26 Enroll Now 12 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 42.53 Plan Details 13 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 42.77 Plan Details 14 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 43.22 Plan Details 15 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 43.85 Enroll Now 16 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 46.06 Plan Details 17 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 46.95 Plan Details 18 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan 50.70 Plan Details 19 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 52.69 Plan Details 20 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 53.78 Plan Details 21 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 54.29 Plan Details 22 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 55.70 Plan Details 23 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 57.69 Plan Details 24 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) 66.88 Enroll Now 25 West Virginia SMART529 Select 66.95 Plan Details 26 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 68.22 Enroll Now 27 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 68.46 Enroll Now 28 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 69.03 Enroll Now 29 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 69.12 Enroll Now 30 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program 85.22 Enroll Now - Alabama CollegeCounts 529 Fund NA Enroll Now - California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Georgia Path2College 529 Plan NA Enroll Now - Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) NA Enroll Now - Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan NA Enroll Now - Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series NA Enroll Now - Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program NA Plan Details - Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program NA Plan Details - Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) NA - Montana Montana Family Education Savings Program -- Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Nebraska Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Nevada SSGA Upromise 529 Plan NA Plan Details - New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan NA - North Carolina National College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - North Dakota College SAVE NA Enroll Now - Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Tennessee TNStars College Savings 529 Program NA Plan Details - Texas Texas College Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Wisconsin Edvest NA Plan Details NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least one portfolio with sufficiently-long performance in a minimum of four asset allocation categories under our ranking model. The Savingforcollege.com plan composite rankings are derived using the plans' relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories. The asset-allocation categories used are: 100 percent equity, 80 percent equity, 60 percent equity, 40 percent equity, 20 percent equity, 100 percent fixed and 100 percent short term. The plan composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in the seven categories. The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan. Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public. Disclaimer: Saving For College, LLC shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures. For broker-sold plan rankings, click here. Savingforcollege.com ranks the performance of direct-sold 529 plans. Direct-sold plans are those that consumers can enroll in without using a broker. We have prepared both one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year performance tables. To prepare this ranking, we compared a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan. We selected portfolios based on their mix of stocks, bonds and money market funds, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison in seven asset-allocation categories. The lower the "percentile," the better the ranking. This ranking could be a useful tool for you when selecting which direct 529 plan might be right for you. Here are our 529 performance rankings as of September 30, 2015 for Direct-sold 529 plans. Ten-year performance ranking (click here for one-year performance table, three-year performance table, and five-year performance table,) : Rank State Plan Performance score 1 Utah Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 24.81 Plan Details 2 Louisiana START Saving Program 30.00 Plan Details 3 New York New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan 33.24 4 Alaska University of Alaska College Savings Plan 34.46 5 Florida Florida 529 Savings Plan 36.20 Plan Details 6 District of Columbia DC 529 College Savings Program (Direct-sold) 36.92 Enroll Now 7 Alaska T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan 39.38 8 Ohio Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan 40.52 Enroll Now 9 South Carolina Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) 40.65 Plan Details 10 Virginia Virginia529 inVEST 41.16 Enroll Now 11 Iowa College Savings Iowa 41.26 Enroll Now 12 Maryland College Savings Plans of Maryland -- College Investment Plan 42.53 Plan Details 13 Nevada USAA 529 College Savings Plan 42.77 Plan Details 14 Kansas Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) 43.22 Plan Details 15 Colorado Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan 43.85 Enroll Now 16 Kansas Schwab 529 College Savings Plan 46.06 Plan Details 17 Nevada The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan 46.95 Plan Details 18 West Virginia SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan 50.70 Plan Details 19 Oklahoma Oklahoma College Savings Plan 52.69 Plan Details 20 Arkansas GIFT College Investing Plan 53.78 Plan Details 21 Connecticut Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) 54.29 Plan Details 22 South Dakota CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) 55.70 Plan Details 23 Kentucky Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust 57.69 Plan Details 24 Rhode Island CollegeBoundfund (Direct-sold, Alternative RI) 66.88 Enroll Now 25 West Virginia SMART529 Select 66.95 Plan Details 26 Delaware Delaware College Investment Plan 68.22 Enroll Now 27 Arizona Fidelity Arizona College Savings Plan 68.46 Enroll Now 28 New Hampshire UNIQUE College Investing Plan 69.03 Enroll Now 29 Massachusetts U.Fund College Investing Plan 69.12 Enroll Now 30 New Mexico The Education Plan's College Savings Program 85.22 Enroll Now - Alabama CollegeCounts 529 Fund NA Enroll Now - California The ScholarShare College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Georgia Path2College 529 Plan NA Enroll Now - Hawaii Hawaii's College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - Idaho Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) NA Enroll Now - Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program -- Direct-sold Plan NA Enroll Now - Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Maine NextGen College Investing Plan -- Client Direct Series NA Enroll Now - Michigan Michigan Education Savings Program NA Plan Details - Minnesota Minnesota College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Mississippi Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program NA Plan Details - Missouri MOST - Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) NA - Montana Montana Family Education Savings Program -- Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Nebraska Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Nevada SSGA Upromise 529 Plan NA Plan Details - New Jersey NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan NA - North Carolina National College Savings Program NA Enroll Now - North Dakota College SAVE NA Enroll Now - Oregon Oregon College Savings Plan NA Plan Details - Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Tennessee TNStars College Savings 529 Program NA Plan Details - Texas Texas College Savings Plan NA Enroll Now - Vermont Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan NA Plan Details - Wisconsin Edvest NA Plan Details NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least one portfolio with sufficiently-long performance in a minimum of four asset allocation categories under our ranking model. The Savingforcollege.com plan composite rankings are derived using the plans' relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories. The asset-allocation categories used are: 100 percent equity, 80 percent equity, 60 percent equity, 40 percent equity, 20 percent equity, 100 percent fixed and 100 percent short term. The plan composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in the seven categories. The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan. Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public. Disclaimer: Saving For College, LLC shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures. For broker-sold plan rankings, click here.

Characters and Themes in Water by the Spoonful

Water by the Spoonful  is a play written by Quiara Alegria Hudes. The second part of a trilogy, this drama depicts the everyday struggles of several people. Some are tied together by family, while others are tied through their addictions. The first portion of Hudess trilogy is titled Elliot, A Soldiers Fugue  (2007).Water by the Spoonful  won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.The final part of the cycle, The Happiest Song Plays Last, premiered in the spring of 2013. Quiara Alegria Hudes has been a rapidly rising star in the playwright community since the early 2000s. After achieving accolades and awards in regional theaters, she entered a more global spotlight with In the Heights, a Tony Award-winning musical for which she wrote the book. The Basic Plot At first, Water by the Spoonful  seems to be set in two different worlds, with two different storylines. The first setting is our everyday world of work and family. In that storyline, young Iraq War veteran Elliot Ortiz deals with a terminally ill parent, a nowhere job at a sandwich shop, and a burgeoning career in modeling. All of this is intensified by recurring memories (ghostly hallucinations) of a man he killed during the war. The second storyline takes place online. Recovering drug addicts interact in an internet forum that has been created by Odessa, Elliots birth mother (although the audience does not learn her identity for a few scenes). In the chat room, Odessa goes by her username HaikuMom. Although she may have failed as a mother in real life, she becomes an inspiration to ex-crack-heads hoping for a new chance. The online inhabitants include: Orangutan: a junkie whose road to recovery has led her in search of her birth parents who live somewhere.ChutesLadders: a recovering drug addict who maintains close online connections, but has yet to take them to the next level off-line.Fountainhead: is the newest member to join the group, but his naivetà © and arrogance at first repulse the online community. Honest self-reflection is demanded before recovery can begin. Fountainhead, a once successful businessman who hides his addiction from his wife, has a hard time being honest with anyone—especially himself. The Main Characters The most invigorating aspect of Hudess play is that although each a character is deeply flawed, the spirit of hope lurks within every tormented heart. Spoiler Alert: Some of the scripts surprises will be given away as we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each character. Elliot Ortiz:  Throughout the play, usually during quiet moments of reflection, a ghost for the Iraq War visits Elliot, echoing words in Arabic. It is implied that Elliot killed this person during the war  and that the Arabic words may have been the last thing spoken before the man was shot. At the beginning of the play, Elliot learns that the man he killed was simply asking for his passport, suggesting that Elliot may have killed an innocent man. In addition to this mental hardship, Elliot still grapples with the physical effects of his war wound, an injury that leaves him with a limp. His months of physical therapy and four different surgeries led to an addiction to painkillers. On top of those hardships, Elliot also deals with the death of Ginny, his biological aunt and adoptive mother. When she dies, Elliot becomes bitter and frustrated. He wonders why Ginny, a selfless, nurturing parent died while Odessa Ortiz, his recklessly neglectful birth mother, remains alive. Elliot reveals his strength throughout the second half of the play as he comes to terms with loss and finds the capacity to forgive. Odessa Ortiz:  In the eyes of her fellow recovering addicts, Odessa (aka, HaikuMom) appears saintly. She encourages empathy and patience within others. She censors profanity, anger, and hateful comments from her online forum. And she doesnt turn away from pompous newcomers such as Fountainhead but instead welcomes all lost souls to her internet community. She has been drug-free for over five years. When Elliot aggressively confronts her, demanding that she pay for the floral arrangement at the funeral, Odessa is at first perceived as a victim and Elliot as the callous, verbal abuser. Meaning of the Title However, when we learn of Odessas back story, we learn how her addiction ravaged not only her life but the lives of her family. The play gets its title Water by the Spoonful  from one of Elliots earliest memories. When he was a little boy, he and his younger sister were gravely ill. The doctor instructed Odessa to keep the children hydrated by giving them one spoonful of water every five minutes. At first, Odessa followed the instructions. But her devotion did not last for long. Compelled to leave in search of her next drug fix, she abandoned her children, leaving them locked in their home until the authorities knocked down the door. By that time, Odessas 2-year-old daughter had died of dehydration. After being confronted with the memories of her past, Odessa tells Elliot to sell her only possession of value: her computer, her key to ongoing recovery. After she gives that up, she returns once again to drug abuse. She overdoses, verging on the brink of death. Yet even then, all is not lost. She manages to hang onto life, Elliot realizes that despite her terrible life choices, he still cares for her, and Fountainhead (the addict who seemed beyond help) stays by Odessas side, endeavoring to steer them into the waters of redemption.

Erp Implementations A Business Process Management

ERP Implementations Introduction: Enterprise resource planning is a business process management tool to help business manage and automate many back office functions related to technology, services, accounting, supply chain, inventory, projects and human resources [1]. It is a system which integrates product planning, development, manufacturing, sales and marketing [1]. First ERP Failure (Hershey): There are many organizations which were successful in the implementation of ERP’s but there are also ERP implementations which were a disastrous failures. Firstly let us know about few of such organizations. The most famous company Hershey’s, one among the top fortune 500 companies was once hit by the ERP failure in the year 1999.The Hershey Foods Corporation was founded by Milton Hershey in year 1894 . Hershey’s had approached three vendors SAP AG, Siebel Systems and Manugistics for implementing the ERP system. 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Employee Attrition free essay sample

An Analysis of Factors Influencing Attrition in the growing Economies’ In the recent decades the Indian industry has changed its outlook. The employment scene has changed its appearance. The factors like skill sets, job satisfaction drive the employment and not just the money. The employer hence faces the heat of continuous employee turnover. Continuous efforts are made by organisations to control the employee turnover rate as it directly affects the performance of the organisation as many key people leave the organisations for various reasons at crucial points. This turnover is normally known as . Defining attrition: A reduction in the number of employees through retirement, resignation or death. Defining Attrition rate: The rate of shrinkage in size or number. In the best of worlds, employees would love their jobs, like their coworkers, work hard for their employers, get paid well for their work, have ample chances for the advancement, and the flexible schedules so they could attend to personal or family needs as and when necessary. We will write a custom essay sample on Employee Attrition or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But then there’s the real world. And in the real world, employees do leave, either because they want more money, hate their co-workers, want a change or because their spouse gets a dream job in another state. So, what does the turnover cost? And which employees are likely to have the highest turnover? Who is likely to stay the longest? Impact of attrition Direct impact: A high attrition indicates the failure on the company’s ability to set effective HR priorities. Clients and business get affected and the company’s internal strengths and weaknesses get highlighted. New hires need to be constantly added, further costs in training them, getting them aligned to the company culture, etc. ,—all a challenge. Indirect impact: Problem for the company in attracting potential employees. Typically, high attrition also leads to a chronic or systemic cycle—attrition brings decreased productivity, people leave causing others to work harder and this contributes to more attrition. All this has a significant impact on the company’s strength in managing their business in a competitive environment. Productivity and profitability are both impacted, either negatively and positively, according to the type of attrition. The cost of hiring is sometimes not less than two to three times the salary of the employee. The impact on work progress is tremendous, particularly if a project is underway and one of the key people leaves. â€Å"It leads to dip in entire organizational efficiency, and a lot depends on how it is able to cover the setback,† Organizations should execute top of the line retention policies in the right earnest and consistency. They should be more employee-centered and look for further ways to â€Å"bond† employees to their companies. â€Å"Company performance is optimally aligned to the skills its employees possess. High attrition implies that certain necessary skills are vulnerable or are not present due to employees being lost. It results in lower than optimal levels of business performance. If the skills are constantly not available, the situation gets compounded into a crisis with key projects, revenues, etc. , getting affected. Business is then reduced to just managing crisis. †