Legg Mason's Scholars Choice® College Savings Program Still Among the Top 4 Performers

BALTIMORE, Sept. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Legg Mason, Inc. LM announced today that its Scholars Choice College Savings Program has again been included among the top four performing advisor-sold 529 Plans by Savingforcollege.com for the 1-year period ending June 30, 2015. This represents the 23rd quarter in a row that the Legg Mason Plan has secured this coveted spot.

"Recent surveys show that parents who plan ahead for college have saved nearly 50% more than those who haven't¹," observed Wayne Lin, Portfolio Manager at QS LMGAA, the Legg Mason affiliate charged with fund selection and asset allocation for the Plan. "The best way to maximize those savings is to choose a top-performing 529 plan."

"There is an increasing awareness of 529 plans among younger families," noted Joe Hurley, founder of Savingforcollege.com. "Yet, choosing a specific plan remains a challenge. With our rankings, families can find plans that have achieved consistently superior results." Savingforcollege.com ­— an independent website ­— is generally regarded by industry professionals as the leading authority on college savings plans.

All Savingforcollege.com rankings are as of June 30, 2015 and are based on the universe of 30 advisor-sold plans for Class A share performance (including maximum sales charges). The portfolios within the plans are compared and ranked based on published investment returns. The plan's composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking. The program ranked 3, 4, 2 and 7 for the quarterly rolling 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance and rankings discussed are inherently limited and are not indicative of longer-term performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than performance results used for these rankings, resulting in different rankings that may be lower than those shown. Market volatility, interest rate changes and economic events, among other factors, can affect an investment's short-term returns.

Ranking Methodology

Savingforcollege.com derives the rankings using each plan's relevant portfolio performance in seven unique asset allocation categories: 100% Equity, 80% Equity, 60% Equity, 40% Equity, 20% Equity, 100% Fixed and 100% Short Term. The plan's composite ranking is determined by the average of its percentile ranking in these categories. Within each category, portfolios are compared and ranked based on published investment returns. Separate rankings are produced for one-, three-, five-, and ten-year periods. In addition, two versions of rankings for each performance period are produced: one based on performance without sales charges and the other based on performance with maximum sales charges. Please visit Savingforcollege.com for more information about the ranking.

Additional unit classes may exist for each plan ranked. Please refer to each plan's program disclosure statement for more information regarding its performance, fees and expenses. For Scholars Choice's program disclosure statement, please visit scholars-choice.com.

About Legg Mason

Legg Mason is a global asset management firm with over $699* billion in assets under management. The Company provides active asset management in many major investment centers throughout the world. Legg Mason is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange LM.

About Scholars Choice

The Scholars Choice College Savings Program is the advisor-sold College Savings Program for the State of Colorado and is also used by investors and financial advisors throughout the U.S. It is one of the largest advisor-sold 529 college savings plans², with assets of over $3.7 billion*. Scholars Choice is managed by QS Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC and primarily distributed by Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC. It is one of the lowest-cost advisor-sold 529 college savings plans³.

Scholars Choice offers seven Age-Based Portfolios, five Years-to-Enrollment portfolios, and six Static Portfolios. Investment options encompass a wide range of carefully constructed portfolios consisting of funds managed by Legg Mason affiliates including QS Batterymarch Financial Management, Brandywine Global Investment Management, ClearBridge Investments, Royce & Associates and Western Asset Management; and two unaffiliated funds managed by Thornburg Investment Management and Templeton Global Advisors Limited.

Important Information

An investor should consider the Program's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. The Program Disclosure Statement at scholars-choice.com, which contains more information, should be read carefully before investing. If an investor and/or an investor's beneficiary are not Colorado taxpayers, they should consider before investing whether their home states offer 529 plans that provide state tax and other benefits only available to state taxpayers investing in such plans.

Investments in the Scholars Choice College Savings Program are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency and are not deposits or other obligations of any depository institution. Investments are not guaranteed by the State of Colorado; CollegeInvest, QS Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC; Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC; or Legg Mason, Inc. or its affiliates, and are subject to investment risks, including loss of principal amount invested.

Scholars Choice is a registered service mark of CollegeInvest. CollegeInvest and the CollegeInvest logo are registered trademarks. Administered and issued by CollegeInvest, State of Colorado. QS Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC, Investment Manager. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC is the primary distributor of interest in the Program; together, they serve as Manager of the Program. QS Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC; ClearBridge Investments, LLC; QS Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc.; Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC; Royce & Associates, LLC; Western Asset Management Company and Western Asset Management Company Limited; and Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC are Legg Mason, Inc. affiliates. Thornburg Investment Management and Templeton Global Advisors Limited are not affiliated with Legg Mason, Inc. and its affiliates.

QS Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation (QS LMGAA) is part of the combined QS Investors investment platform, which is comprised of QS Investors, LLC, QS Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc. and QS LMGAA.

*As of June 30, 2015.
¹ How America Saves for College 2015. Sallie Mae
² Source: Strategic Insight, "2Q15 College Savings Quarterly Update."
³ Source: Strategic Insight, "529 College Savings Quarterly Fee Analysis, Second Quarter 2015."
©2015 Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC. Member FINRA, SIPC. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC is a subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc.SCHX013129 468062 9/15 FN1512695
Brandywine Global • ClearBridge Investments • Martin Currie • Permal • QS Investors • Royce & Associates • Western Asset

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SOURCE Legg Mason, Inc.