The new figures, from fund researcher Morningstar Inc., show that investments in 529 plans fell an average of 9.5% in the third quarter and are now down 5.9% this year through Sept. 30. That isn’t as large as the broader market’s drop.

Whether you’re a parent or a grandparent, one of the hallmark ways of preparing for the upcoming generation is the college savings 529 plan. There’s a bit of bittersweet news there nowadays: overall funds are down, but the alternatives even lower. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, and Morningstar research, investments in 529 plans fell an average of 9.5% in the third quarter and are now down 5.9% this year through Sept. 30. This marks the worst setback since the market crash in early 2009. Of course, thanks to market volatility and several rounds of bad news from…

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