 |
«A website where you can find the lowest interest rates on home loans with absolutely free quotes from multiple lenders» |
| • Home Equity Loan • Home Refinance Loan • Home Purchase Loan • Second Mortgage Loan • Debt Consolidation Loan | ||
|
 | |
| |
| Home Equity Loan Store :: Loans | |
|
|
|
Dos and Donts: Student loans
Parents should begin saving money early for their children's college education because of the high costs and expectations that parents will pay part of the costs associated with the education. Several stock mutual funds are recommended. Here's a question that's as pleasant to consider as a fraternity hazing: How will you come up with the money to send your child to the campus of his or her choice? If you're like most Americans, your answer is probably loans--unless you start saving and investing more effectively. According to a recent MONEY poll, fully 87% of U.S. moms and dads expect their kids to go to college. But nearly half of them, 47%, have not yet stashed away any money to cover the costs, which currently run an average of $7,118 a year for tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public schools and $18,184 at private universities, according to the College Board. And at the current growth rate of 5% a year, the cost of a four-year degree is projected to rise to $73,834 (public) and $188,620 (private) for a child born in 1997. The survey of 1,118 adults with children, conducted by ICR of Media, Pa. (margin of error: plus or minus 2.9 percentage points), also provides a wake-up call for parents who say they are saving for their kids' college costs. More than half stash their savings in unwise college investments, such as certificates of deposit. And nearly a quarter of parents who are saving are putting away a paltry $500 or less a year for each child. Yes, your child can lessen your burden by working part time and by pursuing scholarships (see "Strategies That Can Cut Costs 30% or More" on page 126). But financial experts say that the average parent should be prepared to pick up at least a third of total college costs. If your child is in high school and you haven't saved enough, check out our advice on page 138 on borrowing for college. If your children are younger, however, the sooner you start to save, the better. For example, Richard and Deborah Winters of Milford, Conn. (pictured at left) began putting away col- lege money for son Kyle, 4, when he was six months old and for daughter Kar- lie, 2, when she was 1 1/2. Oakland registered nurse Iris Winn (pictured on page 139), a late starter, now stashes a whopping $12,000 of her $70,000 annual salary into college savings for her daughter Monique, 15. But whenever you start your savings regimen, you can maximize your dollars by planning and investing wisely. Later in this article, we suggest investment strategies for families with college-bound children. But before you get to the specific advice, study these basic rules--the dos and don'ts of smart invest- ing for college: --Do set family goals. You must first figure out how much you need to carve out of today's spending for tomorrow's college costs. To do this, you can use the savings calculators included in popular software such as Quicken, online services like MONEY's college savings calculator (http://www.pathfinder .com/cgi-bin/Money/collsave.cgi) or free worksheets offered by brokerages and mutual fund companies, including Charles Schwab (800-435-4000) and Fidelity (800-544-8888). "Parents and children should work together to make sure they are focused on the same goal," says James Pearman of Fee-Only Financial Planning in Roanoke. "That way, you can face tough questions early on--for example, what to do if you are planning to pay for 75% of tuition at an in-state public school and your child wants to go to Harvard." --Do start saving early. Every year, as your investment principal grows, so do the earnings on your money. The lesson is simple: Don't put off investing. --Do invest in stock mutual funds. According to the MONEY poll, parents saving for college have plowed 53% of their education investments into low-risk--but low-interest--CDs and savings accounts at banks and money-market mutual funds. The parents have invested only 23% of their money in stocks and stock funds. That's a serious mistake. While stocks carry some risk, they are your best bet for making your money grow over five years or more. Since 1926, stocks have gained an average of about 11% a year, more than any other type of investment. Moreover, you can't count on bank account and CD yields to keep pace with tuition hikes. The safest, easiest and most disciplined way to invest in equities is through mutual funds. Not only do funds offer diversification but many will also waive initial investment minimums if you make automatic deposits every month, typically as little as $50 or $100. To avoid having any money siphoned off in commissions, stick with no-load funds like the ones we name in this article. --Don't neglect saving for retirement. Planning for your child's education should not sidetrack you from making regular contributions to your own 401(k), IRA or similar tax-deferred retirement account. You simply don't want to miss the chance to make the most of the tax-deferred gains available in such accounts. And retirement assets won't affect your eligibility for federal need-based college financial aid. --Don't invest in esoterica. From time to time, you may encounter sales pitches encouraging you to save for college with investments such as annuities or cash-value life insurance. Both defer taxes on your investment earnings but at the price of costly withdrawal rules. Many deferred annuities, for example, charge penalties of 7% or more if you need to take out money within seven years of making your investment. Tempted to buy zero-coupon Treasury bonds, which recently yielded 6.6%? They can be fine investments--as long as you buy ones that will be redeemed when you need the money. If you have to sell a zero before maturity, you may lose principal if interest rates have risen since you bought it. Prepaid-tuition plans, another way of building up college savings, can make sense if you're too nervous to invest in stocks (see the box opposite). --Don't put your money in your child's name if you hope to get financial aid. College financial aid formulas generally require a child to contribute 35% of his or her assets toward costs, but parents typically need to put up no more than 5.6% of their savings. With those basic dos and don'ts at the heart of your investment strategy, here are moves to make, based on your kid's age: If your child is 13 or younger, you have enough time to weather any short-term stock market squalls. Investment strategists therefore recommend that you put 75% to 100% of your college savings in stock funds, depending on how much risk you can tolerate, and the rest in such fixed-income investments as bonds and bond mutual funds. You might start your savings program with a fund that holds shares of large and mid-size companies with consistent earnings gains and strong growth potential. Financial planner Michael Zabalaoui at Resource Management in Metairie, La. suggests Oakmark (up an average of 25.13% annually for the three years that ended June 30; 800-625-6275). Pearman recommends Vanguard Index Value (up 25.46%; 800-851-4999). Both funds seek out undervalued equities and bear below-average risk, according to fund ranker Morningstar. After you have accumulated $5,000 in your starter portfolio, you can move as much as a third of your holdings into small-company and international stock funds, which offer the prospect of juicier returns but also carry greater risk. For funds specializing in shares of small companies, Zabalaoui favors Berger Small Cap Value (up 22.6%; 800-333-1001). Among international funds, he likes Janus Worldwide (up 24.7%; 800-525-8983). If your child is 14 or older, reduce risk to safeguard savings. Zabalaoui recommends getting at least 50% of your money out of stocks by the end of your child's freshman year and moving all of your college savings for that child into short-term bonds, fixed income and cash by the end of her sophomore year. To keep risk low, most investment experts prescribe short- and inter- mediate-term bond funds, which will add more pop to your total return than CDs or U.S. Savings Bonds. Pearman likes Vanguard Bond Index Intermediate-Term (up 8.62%; 800-851-4999). The fund shuns high-risk bonds and has an extremely low annual expense ratio of about 0.2% of principal, enabling more savings to go toward your child's college costs. Marc Sylvester is expect based in Edison, NJ. He holds expertise in the banking and finance sector and is a conultant to leading business houses. http://www.imdollar.com/student-loans/
MORE RESOURCES:
Loans - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
What is a Car Loan? A car loan is a type of credit offered by a bank or other financial lender for the specific purpose of buying a vehicle. Car loans allow you to finance buying a new or used car. When the Bank Says NO! Factoring has been practiced for centuries. The Romans sold promissory notes at a discount as did the Phoenicians. Motorcycle Loans For Military With Bad Credit Motorcycle loans for military with bad credit aren't hard to come by. In fact when you start your search for the lender you will find more then an ample supply of companies just waiting for your business. What is a Title Loan? A title loan is a loan of money secured by a certificate of title to a motor vehicle. The title loan lender keeps the certificate in case the loan is not paid. Buy Now And Really Pay Later! With UK personal debt breaking through the £1 Trillion mark last year, it's safe to say a large number of the UK population is in debt. This comes in the form of outstanding car finance, bank overdrafts, credit card bills and many other factors. No Faxing Cash Advance Loans - 3 Reasons to Use A No Fax Payday Loan Company No fax payday loan companies save you time with your application, grant instant approvals, and allow access to easy cash. Faxless applications eliminate the review by personal by relying on databases. Zero Zero Financing on Automobiles in Retrospect Some say that the automobile industry saved the economy during the last recession. This is because auto sales are bundled into retail sales, which allowed higher numbers than actual to be reported. Guide to Bridging Loans Here is a useful guide to bridging loans. This is a loan that is usually taken out to solve a temporary cash shortfall that may arise when buying a property or business. SBA Loan: Options, Benefits, and Lenders Part 2 of 2 In this second installment, we will further examine what kinds of SBA loan options are available, and for what kinds of businesses they are most advantageous. We will also discuss the different types of SBA lenders. Payday Loans And Pawnshops: Comparing Two Popular Ways Of Getting Cash Quickly I remember years ago growing up when you needed some money fast and didn't have any other alternatives such as credit cards, friends or a friendly bank you pawned something you had that was valuable. This was an easy way to get some money and technically you didn't give away what you owned but you did have to pay a fee to get it back. Alternative Venture Finance: Federal Grants and Loans While most companies seeking venture capital initially think about angel investors and venture capitalists, a large alternative source of financing is federal grants and loans. The two largest federal grant programs are run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and by Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs). If You're Looking For Low Cost Car Finance, Loan Companies Offer Some Great Deals These days having a reliable and safe vehicle to drive is more important than ever. With public transport packed to the hilt and often unreliable, many people have learned to rely on their vehicles to get to college or work, pick up the kids, do the shopping and even to perform their jobs. Why Choose a Secured Personal Loan? Listed below are some of the many reasons why you should choose a secured personal loan. A secured personal loan is often referred to as a homeowner loan. What is Bad Credit UK? Bad credit UK is a term that many people don't fully understand. After all, credit itself can sometimes be difficult to understand? adding the description of "bad" to it can make it that much more confusing. How To Save Money On Car Loans Have you noticed that everyone seems to have a newer car than you? There's good news. You can find a way to upgrade your old clunker to a newer model. A Secured Loan Could Save You Money What is a Secured Loan?A secured loan is any loan that is secured on your home or property. It is any loan which requires you to provide the lender with some form of security other than just a promise to pay. What You Should Know About Home Equity Loans A home equity loan is essentially a type of second mortgage. You'll be borrowing money against the value of your home. Getting the Best Loans UK with Bad Credit Sometimes it might seem as though finding good loans UK is nearly impossible for those who have bad credit.Having bad credit can make life difficult in many ways, and almost certainly makes it more expensive? without being able to get decent loans UK, though, many of these expenses can be more than an individual can handle on their own and they often have to do without the things they want or the financial assistance that they need. Cant Wait For Payday? Try Check Advance Check advance can come in really handy when you're waiting for the regular pay check that never seems to come. Check advance stations exist in most major cities, sometimes several check advance locales to a block. When is a Commercial Lender not a Commercial Lender? A Commercial Lender is Not a Commercial Lender When it is a BankA commercial lender offers loans backed by hard collateral, usually real estate. Usually a commercial lender's lending criteria will be less stringent than at the local bank.
|
