The board manages ABLE account investments, including annual review, delegation, custodians, and separate tracking when funds are pooled.
Sec. 54.905. INVESTMENT OF FUNDS. (a) All money paid by a participant in connection with a participation agreement shall be: (1) deposited into an individual ABLE account held on behalf of that participant in the Texas ABLE savings plan account; and (2) promptly invested by the board. (b) The board at least annually shall establish and review the asset allocation and selection of the underlying investments of the ABLE program. The board may delegate this duty to a financial institution, including a financial institution retained by another state or a consortium of states. (c) The board may delegate to duly appointed financial institutions, including a financial institution retained by another state or a consortium of states, authority to act on behalf of the board in the investment and reinvestment of all or part of the funds and may also delegate to those financial institutions the authority to act on behalf of the board in the holding, purchasing, selling, assigning, transferring, or disposing of any or all of the securities and investments in which the funds in the Texas ABLE savings plan account have been invested, as well as the proceeds from the investment of those funds. (d) In delegating investment authority to financial institutions, the board may authorize the pooling of funds from the ABLE accounts with other funds administered by the board to maximize returns for participants. If funds from the ABLE accounts are pooled with other funds administered by the board, the board shall track, monitor, report, and record separately all investment activity related to the ABLE accounts, including any earnings and fees associated with each individual ABLE account. (e) The board may select one or more financial institutions to serve as custodian of all or part of the program's assets. (f) In the board's discretion, the board may contract with: (1) one or more financial institutions, including a financial institution retained by another state or a consortium of states, or other entities to serve as plan managers; and (2) one or more financial institutions, including a financial institution retained by another state or a consortium of states, to invest the money in ABLE accounts. (g) A contract between the board and a financial institution or other entity to act as plan manager under this subchapter may be for a term of up to five years and may be renewable. (h) In exercising or delegating investment powers and authority, members of the board shall exercise ordinary business care and prudence under the facts and circumstances prevailing at the time of the action or decision. A member of the board is not liable for any action taken or omitted with respect to the exercise of, or delegation of, those powers and authority if the member discharged the duties of the member's position in good faith and with the degree of diligence, care, and skill that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with those matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims. (i) In administering this subchapter, the board is subject to the board's ethics policy adopted under Section 54.6085. Added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1213 (S.B. 1664), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2015. Amended by: Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 296 (S.B. 377), Sec. 3, eff. May 29, 2017.