Skip to main content

Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct

Overview

Unit Price as of 04/23/2025 $12.80
Change $0.05 0.39%
Expense Ratio 0.48%
Inception Date 05/05/2017

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks to provide current income and low to moderate capital appreciation.

Investment Strategy

The Portfolio invests in two Vanguard stock index funds and two Vanguard bond index funds, resulting in an allocation of 25% of its assets to stocks and 75% of its assets to investment-grade bonds. The percentages of the Portfolio's assets allocated to each Underlying Fund are:

Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund 52.5%
Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund 15%
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund 10%
Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund 22.5%

Through its ownership of the two stock funds, the Portfolio indirectly owns primarily large-capitalization and, to a lesser extent, mid-, small-, and micro-capitalization U.S. stocks, and international stocks. Through its ownership of Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund, the Portfolio indirectly holds a mix of bonds—including government, corporate, and international dollar-denominated bonds, as well as mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities—that represent a wide spectrum of public, investment-grade, taxable, fixed income securities in the United States, all with maturities of more than 1 year. The Fund maintains a dollar-weighted average consistent with that of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index, which generally ranges between 5 and 10 years.

Through its ownership of Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund, the Portfolio also indirectly invests in government, government agency, corporate, and securitized non-U.S. investment-grade fixed income investments, all issued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and with maturities of more than 1 year. To minimize currency risk associated with investment in bonds denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, the Fund attempts to hedge its currency exposures.

Investment Risks

Because it invests mainly in bond funds, the Portfolio primarily is subject to low to moderate levels of interest rate risk, credit risk, income risk, and call/prepayment risk. Through its stock fund holdings, the Portfolio is subject to stock market risk and low levels of country/regional risk, currency risk, and emerging markets risk. The Portfolio also has low levels of index sampling risk, currency hedging risk, nondiversification risk and derivatives risk.

Average Annual Returns - Updated Monthly as of 03/31/2025

Name 1 year 3 year 5 year 10 year Since Inception 05/05/2017
Name Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct 1 year 4.89% 3 year 1.94% 5 year 3.25% 10 year — Since Inception 05/05/2017 3.24%
Name Conservative Growth Composite** 1 year 5.20% 3 year 2.44% 5 year 3.77% 10 year — Since Inception 05/05/2017 3.90%

**Consists of the Spliced Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index (52.5%), the CRSP US Total Market Index (15%), the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Float Adjusted RIC Capped Index (USD Hedged) (22.5%), and the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index (10%).The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index replaced the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (on December 31, 2009.) Effective September 29, 2016, Barclays indexes were rebranded to Bloomberg Barclays indexes. The CRSP US Total Market Index replaced the MSCI US Broad Market Index (on January 15, 2013), which had replaced the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index (on April 22, 2005). The FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index replaced the MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI Index (on June 3, 2013), which had replaced the MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index (on December 16, 2010).

Annual Investment Returns

Year Ended Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct
Year Ended 2024 Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct 5.12%
Year Ended 2023 Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct 9.80%
Year Ended 2022 Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct -14.37%
Year Ended 2021 Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct 2.55%
Year Ended 2020 Conservative Growth Portfolio-Direct 9.04%

Historical Prices

04/24/2025 $12.90
04/23/2025 $12.80
04/22/2025 $12.75
04/21/2025 $12.67
04/17/2025 $12.74

Search for more historical price information

Index performance is provided as a benchmark but is not illustrative of any particular investment. An investment cannot be made in an index.

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance - especially short-term past performance - is not a guarantee of future results. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate, so that investors' units, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent quarter-end, click here.

For more information about North Dakota's College SAVE Plan (College SAVE), call 1-866-SAVE-529 (1-866-728-3529) or click here to obtain a Plan Disclosure Statement. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Plan Disclosure Statement; read and consider it carefully before investing. Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, LLC. (ABD) is Distributor of the College Save.

Please Note: Before you invest, consider whether your or the beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in that state's qualified tuition program. You also should consult your financial, tax, or other advisor to learn more about how state-based benefits (or any limitations) would apply to your specific circumstances. You also may wish to contact directly your home state's 529 plan(s), or any other 529 college savings plan, to learn more about those plans' features, benefits and limitations. Keep in mind that state-based benefits should be one of many appropriately weighted factors to be considered when making an investment decision.

The College SAVE Plan (College SAVE) is a 529 plan established by the State of North Dakota. Bank of North Dakota (Bank) acts as trustee of College SAVE Trust, a North Dakota Trust, and is responsible for administering College SAVE Trust and College SAVE. ABD, the Plan Manager, and its affiliates, have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Plan, including recordkeeping and marketing. The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard) provides underlying investments for the Plan. The College SAVE's Portfolios, although they invest in mutual funds, are not mutual funds. Units of the Portfolios are municipal securities and the value of units will vary with market conditions.