College Planning
IMPORTANT TO KNOW!
- Saving for your own retirement is more important than saving for college.
Your children will have more sources of money for college than you will have for your golden years, so don't sacrifice your retirement savings.
- The sooner you start saving, the better.
Even modest savings can pack a punch if you give them enough time to grow. Investing just $100 a month for 18 years will yield $48,000, assuming an 8 percent average annual return.
- Stocks are best for your college savings portfolio.
With tuition costs rising faster than inflation, a portfolio tilted toward stocks is the best way to build enough savings in the long term. As your child approaches college age, you can shelter your returns by switching more money into bonds and cash.
- You don't have to save the entire cost of four years of college.
Federal, state, and private grants and loans can bridge the gap between your savings and tuition bills, even if you think you make too much to qualify.
- With mutual funds, investing for college is simple.
Investing in mutual funds puts a professional in charge of your savings so that you don't have to watch the markets daily.
- The approval process for college loans is more lenient than for other loans.
Late payments on your credit record aren't automatic grounds for refusal of a college loan.
- Lenders can be flexible when it's time to repay.
There are still ways to cut costs after you graduate and begin repaying your student loans.