Able UP News
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs Announces Lower Fees for Able UP Accounts, Formerly Illinois ABLE
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs Announces Lower Fees for Able UP Accounts, Formerly Illinois ABLEArchived video to be posted here : Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced lower fees, a new mobile app, updated investment options and improved online tools for Able UP accounts , the disability savings program formerly known as Illinois ABLE . Able UP is an ABLE savings account program for eligible people with disabilities and qualifying medical conditions. Although administered by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, people nationwide can open an Able UP account; residency in Illinois is not required. “Every day, I am asked…
How to Claim an Able UP Account
For Account Owners/Beneficiaries and Authorized Legal Representatives It’s official! All IL ABLE accounts have transitioned to the new Able UP account management platform, powered by Vestwell. Account owners and authorized legal representatives (previously called Authorized Individuals) can now retrieve their account on the new Able UP portal. Follow these steps to access your Able UP account. How to claim your account: Explore Your Able UP Account Dashboard Now that you’ve accessed your account, you can explore your new dashboard. Check that your information is up to date. You can also order a True Link Visa® Prepaid Card™, review your investment…
Treasurer Frerichs Clinches 8th Gold Rating For Bright Start 529 College Savings Plan
Treasurer Frerichs Clinches 8th Gold Rating For Bright Start 529 College Savings PlanCHICAGO — Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced that the Bright Start 529 College Savings Plan has earned its eighth Gold rating from independent investment analyst Morningstar, once again placing Illinois’ direct-sold college savings plan among the best in the nation. Bright Start 529 is one of only nine Gold-rated 529 college savings plans in the country. “For the eighth time under my watch, Morningstar has recognized Bright Start 529 as one of the nation’s best college savings plans,” Frerichs said. “That independent recognition confirms what Illinois…
Welcome to Able UP!
The IL ABLE program is now called Able UP If you had an IL ABLE account, it is now an Able UP account. Accounts in Able UP help people with disabilities and qualifying medical conditions live a life of Unlimited Possibilities and Unlimited Potential: now you can Able UP for today, tomorrow, and your future. Able UP offers more than a new name and a new website for the Illinois ABLE program. Able UP gives you: Some things will stay the same. Able UP accounts continue to offer tax advantages. Earnings grow tax-deferred, and withdrawals for eligible expenses are tax-free. In…
What My Cats Taught Me About Independence
What My Cats Taught Me About IndependenceMy video about returning more than $28,000 in missing money to an animal shelter generated a lot of discussion. I heard from many dog owners about their adoption stories and the animals that quickly became a part of their families. I also heard from a few cat lovers asking why I didn’t more prominently showcase their feline friends. First, we returned the money on National Dog Day, so it made sense to focus on canines. Second, I have no anti-feline bias. True, I have told you…
Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ Office Publishes Annual Report on Small Business Spending
Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ Office Publishes Annual Report on Small Business SpendingIllinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office increased its small business spending by 66 percent from Fiscal Year 2025 to Fiscal Year 2026, a new report states. During Fiscal Year 2026, the Treasurer’s Office spent a total of $2,235,433.77 on contracts and other purchases with small businesses, which represents nearly 10 percent of the Office’s overall contract and purchase spending of $24,151,375.88. For comparison, spending during Fiscal Year 2025 totaled $1,346,772.54. The information is included in the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office annual report on the Office’s utilization of small business vendors.…
This Halloween, State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Suggests Checking ICash for Treats
This Halloween, State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Suggests Checking ICash for TreatsVideo of Treasurer Frerichs available here: Ahead of Halloween, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is asking residents to check the ICash website to see if there’s missing money waiting for you to claim. “You might find enough money for a bag of candy, a really good Halloween costume or tickets to a haunted house. Maybe even enough to take your friends out to see a scary movie,” Frerichs said. “And speaking of scary movies, I checked the ICash database, and it looks like there’s money waiting for several people…
This Year’s Costumes Mean a Little More
This Year’s Costumes Mean a Little MoreI have always been a little jealous of people who have intricate, creative, and homemade Halloween costumes. Maybe it’s because as a kid, I frequently had the plastic costumes you would wear over your clothes with a plastic mask pressed against your face, hoping the elastic string wouldn’t break. I wish I could say that I did better with my kids, but with the twins, we have taken the easy route. They have dressed as a pair of pumpkins, as ketchup and mustard, and as M&M’s. They were cute, but…
The Illinois Ideas That Helped Shape the World
The Illinois Ideas That Helped Shape the WorldLast week’s Treasurer’s Note unleashed a lot of pride in Illinois’ history of innovations, and readers were quick to let me know about their favorites. Several of them, I was aware of. A few of them were new to me. Thank you for enlightening me! Now I’d like to enlighten our readers by picking out a baker’s dozen of great Illinois innovations. We didn’t have space for them all. Hopefully, highlighting these inventions will help you learn something you didn’t know about your…