They are not smart investments because you have no control over where the money is pointed in the plan.

So if you call your advisor, and say "i want my 529 to only focus on X" they tell you that you have no control over the index and the plan will be the most conservative 50-year-old actuary data which has no fucking clue where the market is heading and then berate you for when their 529 index loses value...

I was ready to pay that investment banker's family a personal visit with skills that I have accumulated over a number of decades.