# On the record

Newsroom

Company announcements, independent coverage of our work, and the materials reporters need. For company background see about us, and for security and diligence see trust and security.

## Announcements

**September 24, 2024 · SavingForCollege.com**

[Saving For College Announces 2024 529 Ratings and New Award Designations](https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/2024-ratings-and-new-award-designations)

Saving For College published its 2024 529 Ratings on an overhauled methodology, adding Ease of Use and Savings Success categories, rating advisor-sold and direct-sold plans separately, and introducing the Top of the Class, High Honors and Honors awards.

**December 19, 2023 · Backer newsroom**

[Backer Acquires Saving For College and Raises Series A](/newsroom/series-a/)

Backer announced a $9.5M Series A and the acquisition of Saving For College, the 529 data and editorial property millions of American families rely on each year.

**December 6, 2022 · PRWeb**

[Backer Partners with North Carolina's 529 Savings Program to Help Students Save](https://www.prweb.com/releases/backer-partners-with-north-carolina-s-529-savings-program-to-help-students-save-894589712.html)

Backer gifting reached more than 160,000 North Carolina 529 accounts, debuting a new model of collaboration with state-run 529 programs.


## In the news

Independent reporting on our work. Coverage from before 2021 carries the company's former name, CollegeBacker.

**June 1, 2026**

[Trump's 'big beautiful bill' turned 529 plans into 'lifelong education' accounts, expert says: How to take advantage](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/trump-big-beautiful-bill-529-plans.html)

CNBC

**August 28, 2024**

[The gift of education: Getting friends and family to contribute to your kid's 529 account is 'pretty darn cool'](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/28/education-gifts-the-benefits-of-giving-to-a-529-college-savings-plan.html)

CNBC

**December 20, 2023**

[Backer secures $9.5m in Series A funding: A new era for 529 savings plans](https://fintech.global/2023/12/20/backer-secures-9-5m-in-series-a-funding-a-new-era-for-529-savings-plans/)

FinTech Global

**May 31, 2021**

[These apps aim to change the way parents save for their children's college education](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/31/new-apps-aim-to-change-the-way-parents-save-for-college.html)

CNBC

**February 19, 2021**

[Almost No One Saves for College. Can New 529 Apps Help?](https://money.com/529-college-savings-plans-mobile-apps/)

Money

**January 16, 2020**

[How to start saving for college right now on your phone](https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/start-saving-for-college-on-phone)

Fox Business

**September 12, 2016**

[CollegeBacker publicly launches its college savings account advisory service](https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/12/collegebacker-publicly-launches-its-robo-advisory-college-savings-platform/)

TechCrunch

## For reporters

### Media inquiries

Write to the press desk and please include your deadline. For anything that is not a press request, the [help center](https://help.backer.com/en/) is the faster route.

[press@backer.com](mailto:press@backer.com)

### Brand kit

The Backer wordmark, logo files, and the rules for setting them, packaged for publication.

[Download](/brand-kit/backer-brand-kit.zip) · [Browse the files](/brand-kit/index.html)

_The page shows the Backer wordmark on a plate, a Download button pointing at /brand-kit/backer-brand-kit.zip, and a quiet link to the file listing at /brand-kit/index.html._

_What the kit contains: the Backer lockup, wordmark and knot mark, each in ink #141414 and white, as SVG, print-ready PDF and EPS, and transparent PNG at 512, 1024 and 2048 px wide; Momo Trust Sans 400/500/600 with the SIL Open Font License 1.1; a five-page usage sheet (clear space, minimum sizes, do and do-not, palette with unproofed CMYK, typography); boilerplate.txt with the fact sheet and its sources; and the basic SavingForCollege.com and TrumpAccounts.com marks._

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_Site-wide footer copy and disclosure, shown on every page:_

The connected information, discovery, and infrastructure company for family investing.

Backer is the tradename of Principly, Inc., an SEC-registered investment adviser. Our internet-based investment advisory services are designed to assist clients in saving for education and are not intended to provide comprehensive tax advice or financial planning. Our services are available to U.S. residents only. This website shall not be considered a solicitation or offering for any service or product to any person in any jurisdiction where such solicitation or offer would be unlawful. Investing in securities involves risks, and investing in 529 plans in particular involves certain tax considerations and related risks. Any investments you make in a 529 plan through Backer may lose value. Historical returns, expected returns, and probability projections are provided for informational and illustrative purposes, and may not reflect actual future performance. Our savings calculator is a hypothetical tool provided for illustrative purposes only and is based on important assumptions [described here](/legal/#disclosures). SavingForCollege.com and TrumpAccounts.com are independent publishing properties of Saving for College, LLC and do not provide investment advice.

© 2026 Principly, Inc.