Occasion marked with special events throughout Arkansas
iShares, a global leader in Exchange Traded Funds, today announced its recognition of 529 College Savings Day – May 29th – as a day to reflect on saving for higher education. As part of its ongoing commitment to Arkansas families, iShares 529 Plan® will be sponsoring several activities and organizations that promote higher learning: the Museum of Discovery's Dino Dash on May 22, the Little Rock Film Festival in June, and a year-long music series at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville.
Dino Dash is an annual 5K race for kids and adults of all ages that helps to fund educational programs at the Museum of Discovery, Arkansas' hub for igniting passion for science, technology and math. Participants of Dino Dash will receive goodie bags, keepsake t-shirts, and admission to both Discovery Fest and the Museum of Discovery on race day.
iShares 529 Plan will also participate as a sponsor of the Little Rock Film Festival from June 2-6, including the presentation of the Charles B. Pierce Award for Best Film "Made in Arkansas," which recognizes the most vibrant and creative films produced by Arkansas filmmakers. Created by Little Rock natives and documentary filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud, along with Owen Brainard and Jamie Moses, the LRFF is committed to promoting the film industry in Arkansas.
In addition to the Dino Dash and Little Rock Film Festival, iShares 529 Plan will also serve as lead sponsor of a year-long music series at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. The iShares 529 Plan Music Series begins in July and will run through June of 2011.
"Each of these local events reflects the spirit of 529 College Savings Day, as they share our goal of providing a path to creativity, innovation and education," said Stephen Jobe, director of 529 programs at iShares. "We designed the iShares 529 Plan to help promote these values and to arm financial advisors with a tool that will help Arkansas families save for future generations of students."
The iShares 529 Plan is a college savings plan sponsored by the State of Arkansas. It is available through financial advisors, and is the only 529 plan with all Exchange Traded Funds as the underlying investments. With Exchange Traded Funds at its core, the iShares 529 Plan breaks new ground in the 529 plan arena by offering attractive benefits, including low expenses and transparency.
For more information about iShares 529 Plan, please visit www.ishares529.com. For information about Dino Dash and the Museum of Discovery, visit www.amod.org. Additional information about the Little Rock Film Festival can be found at www.littlerockfilmfestival.org. For additional information about the Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.
About iShares: iShares is the global product leader in exchange traded funds with over 430 funds globally across equities, fixed income and commodities, which trade on 16 exchanges worldwide. The iShares Funds are bought and sold like common stocks on securities exchanges. The iShares Funds are attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial intermediaries because of their relative low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. The iShares customer base consists of the institutional segment of pension plans and fund managers, as well as the retail segment of financial advisors and high net worth individuals.
About BlackRock: BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At March 31, 2010, BlackRock's AUM was $3.364 trillion. BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients' needs, including active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes. Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate accounts, mutual funds,iShares® exchange traded funds, and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions®. Headquartered in New York City, as of March 31, 2010, the firm has approximately 8,500 employees in 24 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com.
About the Museum of Discovery: Founded in 1927, the Museum of Discovery is Little Rock's oldest museum. It remains a fixture of the River Market District in Downtown Little Rock attracting visitors of all ages. With over 25,000 square feet of hands-on, interactive exhibits, the Museum is a family destination "where you have worlds to discover." The Museum's mission is to ignite a passion for science, technology and math in a dynamic, interactive environment. The Museum of Discovery is a Smithsonian Affiliate, accredited by the American Association of Museums and a member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the Association of Children's Museums.
About the Walton Arts Center: Walton Arts Center is a non-profit arts organization located in the heart of Northwest Arkansas. The Arts Center's mission is to bring great artists and entertainers from around the world to Northwest Arkansas, connecting and engaging people through inspiring arts experiences. Opened in 1992, the Center is known as Arkansas' premier center for the performing arts and entertainment, featuring a full season of week-long Broadway shows, a jazz series, kids and family programming, dance, music and theatrical performances, spring and summer performing arts-based camps, the summer AWE (Arts with Education) teacher's professional development Institute, and a host of community based events, including productions by the University of Arkansas and TheatreSquared.
About the Little Rock Film Festival: The annual Little Rock Film Festival showcases the best in Narrative, Documentary, and Short films from around the World, as well as parties, panels, workshops, and youth programs. It offers cash and awards for the top films in each category, and also devotes programs and prizes specifically for Southern and Arkansas films. Founded in 2005 by Little Rock natives and Documentary Filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud, along with Owen Brainard and Jamie Moses, the LRFF is committed to promoting the film industry in Arkansas and partnering with local organizations and businesses in continuing the growth and development of Downtown Little Rock.
For more information about the iShares 529 Plan, contact your financial advisor, call 1-888-529-9552 or visit www.ishares529.com to obtain a Program Description and Participation Agreement which includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information; read and consider it carefully before investing or sending money. Upromise Investments, Inc. Co-Distributor and Underwriter; BlackRock Fund Distribution Company, Co-Distributor.
If you are not an Arkansas taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.
The iShares 529 Plan is a college tuition savings program sponsored by the State of Arkansas and is administered by the Arkansas 529 Plan Review Committee. Upromise Investments, Inc., and Upromise Investment Advisors, LLC, serve as the Program Manager and Recordkeeping and Servicing Agent, respectively, with overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations, including marketing and co-distribution of the Plan. BlackRock Fund Distribution Company also has responsibility for co-distribution of the Plan. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. serves as Investment Manager for the Plan. The Plan's portfolios, although they invest in exchange traded funds, are not exchange traded funds. Units of the Portfolios are municipal securities and the value of units will vary with market conditions.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. and BlackRock Fund Distribution Company are subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc., none of which is affiliated with Upromise.
© 2010 BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. All other trademarks, servicemarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
* Not FDIC Insured * No Bank, State or Federal Guarantee * May Lose Value
Contacts:
Media Relations
Christine Hudacko, 415-670-2687
christine.hudacko@blackrock.com
or
Media
Relations
iShares 529 Plan:
Jamie Giller
Jamie@ebbenzallgroup.com
