Russ Buhler may be only 28 years old, but he knows a few things.

He knows a day's work. He knows what it is to be a husband and father. He knows he wants to give his children something more, even if it's only a little bit more, even if it makes things just a little bit easier for them. He knows it's worth it.

Buhler's answer, at least in part, comes in the form of the Utah Educational Savings Plan, one of several so-called "529 college savings plans" offered nationwide. Analysts love Utah's plan, and a growing number of investors are catching on, to the tune of $1 billion, at last word — all despite the much-reported felony theft conviction of the fund's former director, Dale Hatch.

Named after the section of federal tax code that established them, 529 plans are qualified tuition plans that allow investors — anyone, regardless of income or contribution amount — to save money for college by investing (tax-free) in a menu of mutual funds.

Every state offers a 529 plan, and Utah's ranks among the nation's most well-regarded. The UESP is what's called a "direct-sold" plan, which means investors can set up accounts and make contributions with UESP directly — no financial advisers needed.

"Utah has one of the most popular 'direct-sold' 529 plans in the country simply because it is among the lowest-cost plans, by virtue of using Vanguard index funds," said Joseph F. Hurley, founder and chief executive of Savingforcollege.com.

But it isn't just about the mutual funds on UESP's menu, according to Kerry O'Boyle, Morningstar fund analyst.

In its most recent "Best and Worst 529 Savings Plans" report, released in February, O'Boyle wrote that, while more than five other states offer Vanguard index funds, "Utah earns kudos for keeping total costs down by tackling the administrative burden itself — charging only 0.25 percent for its trouble — and it doesn't levy anything at all for choosing its money market option."

"Our mission is to encourage people to save for college," said the fund's new director, Lynne Ward. "If there's money there for college, students are more inclined to go and less inclined to take out heavy student loans."

Through Jan. 31, 2005, Utah's fee range was zero to 0.42 percent, Morningstar reported. Nevada, which also offers Vanguard funds, had a fee range of 0.65 percent to 0.86 percent.

"These fees include the cost of the underlying expense ratios of the funds of the various plan options available," O'Boyle wrote in the report. "Clearly, different states have different priorities. For the some (sic), it's investors; for others, it's bureaucracy."