 COLLEGE PLANNING There are currently 11 offerings in the database.Page(s): 1 The Bull's-Eye Rating System You'll notice that each of the fundfreebies entries have from 0 to 3 bull's-eyes after it. I'm using that symbol as a way to evaluate the content of each piece.Now don't think that just because there aren't any bull's-eyes after a piece that it's not worth ordering. That's not the case at all. All of the materials presented are informative and have educational merit. And, little to no fund family p.r. fluff in them. I know this for a fact as I've read through each entry and personally decided upon its Bull's-Eye rating. Here's what the ratings mean:
- O to 1 bull's-eye means the piece is solid and informative.
- 2 bull's-eyes means the piece is a cut above the 1 bull's-eye entries.
- 3 bull's-eyes means content is strong, very educational and definitely worth a read.
COLLEGE PLANNINGCollege Planning Guide from The AIM Family of Funds. This 25 " x 11" mini-let ,folded into thirds, provides a table through 2023 estimating the costs of college, offers investment ideas such as investing at regular intervals and makes a case for investing in large-company stocks. The back of the mini-let shows a sampling of projected college costs at 10 public and 10 private colleges in the United States. In 2018-2022, it's estimated that the ticket for an education at public colleges will cost $187,737. At Harvard, it's projected to be $445,353. Yikes!  To order this piece, please call AIM Funds at 1-800-959-4246 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGConsider the Options When Investing for College, from American Century's Education & Guidance Series; Financial FYI. A 8 1/2" x 11", one-page, two-sided report that lays out—in an easy to read chart form--- the various ways to save for a child's future education. Comparisons are made between State 529 Plans, UGMA/GTMAs. Education IRAs, ROTH IRAs and the Traditional IRA. This is a great piece. Order it now. To obtain this information FREE from American Century, call 1-800-345-2021 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGThe Fidelity College Savings Plan, Account Kit, from Fidelity Investments. A 9 1/2" x 6" envelop that contains a 26-page, 8 1/2" x 51/2" booklet addressing the rising costs of a college education and provides steps for developing a savings plan. The booklet points out how dollar-cost-averaging can help and charts how a regular investment accumulates over 20 years. It includes a worksheet that will help you determine a monthly, quarterly or annual college savings plan based on your individual goals, and it also includes two 18-year Rate of Return tables to help you with your calculations. The benefit of a college savings plan, options for building a college portfolio, and a list of the tax benefits of custodial accounts are discussed. Also included is an application for enrollment in The Fidelity College Savings Plan. To get this information free, call Fidelity Investor Center 800-544-9797 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGCollege Investing Basics, from John Hancock Funds. This 8" x 11", 12-pagebooklet is a quick-reference guide that helps you measure the benefits andweigh the costs of a college degree and takes you through the steps ofidentifying where the money will come from, what investment options areavailable to you. There's even a table that breaks down the monthlyinvestment you'll need to make based on the amount you need to save and yourchild's age. To get this information free, ask for it by title and call John Hancock Funds800-225-5291 .
COLLEGE PLANNINGPerspectives: A College Education has Substantial Benefits, from JohnHancock. This 8" x 11", one-sheet, two-sided report looks at the benefitsof a college education by using statistics showing that the higher youreducation, the higher your income, and the greater your job security.The report includes a table that projects the costs of a college education based on yourchild's age and talks about the three keys to successful college investing:invest early, invest often, reinvest dividends. To get this information free, ask for it by title and call John Hancock Funds800-225-5291.
COLLEGE PLANNINGMosaic's Guide to College Financing from Mosaic Funds. This 40-page, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" booklet is a comprehensive guide for college financing. It explains the pros and cons of six key ways in which people pay for college: family resources from outside the household (for example, grandparents giving money); home equity and parental loans; scholarship grants; student loans, student earnings (employment during school); and designated savings. The booklet goes into specific types of savings programs, offering parents and students valuable tips, such as the tax advantages of a custodial account. To order this piece, please call Mosaic Funds at 1-888-670-3600 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGOppenheimerFunds, College Planning Worksheet: Securing Higher Education For Children And Grandchildren. A 17" x 11" mini-let that's folded in half and designed to help you clue in on the costs---and ways to save/invest---for a child's future education. In it you'll learn about the Kiddie Tax, the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA), Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UGMA), and the Education IRA. Keep in mind that even though college may not be in your child's future, a trade school may be. And, any amount of money saved today can grow into a tidy sum tomorrow thanks to the power of compounding. To order this piece, call OppenheimerFunds at 1-800-525-7048 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGEducation worksheets from Safeco. This 25 1/2" x 11" mini letter folded into thirds offers information about planning for college expenses. Parents and others can use the chart on projected college costs to determine their future liabilities. The mini letter's worksheet asks key questions to help investors understand their current college investments, what they'll yield and what further steps need to be taken in order to achieve realistic goals. Sample budgets, factoring such detailed costs as books and personal transportation, for 2-year public to 4-year private universities give some perspective on costs (though the chart is dated to 1996 and '97). The piece also offers helpful hints, such as: "Putting college savings in a child's name rather than yours, though a Uniform Gift to Minors or Uniform Transfer to Minors Account can save taxes." To order this piece, please call Safeco at 1-800-624-5711 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGEducation Savings Account, from Strong funds. This 25 " x 5 1/4" piece, that's folded into thirds, highlights the use of an Education Savings Account. There are new tax laws in 2002 making these kinds of accounts more attractive. There are income limits on those wanting to open an Education Savings Account. To qualify, you must have a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) below $160,000 for those filing joint tax returns, and below $110,000 if you're a single filer. Learn more from this piece. To obtain this piece free, call Strong Funds at 1-800-368-6860 and request it by title.
COLLEGE PLANNINGSmart 529, The College Savings Solution, from The Hartford. This 8 3/4" x 11 1/4", 28-page booklet does a great job of looking at the 529 college savings plan. Plus, it shows--- and compares--- other types of college savings programs like the 529 Prepaid Plans, Coverdell ESAs (formerly called Education IRAs), UGMA/UTMAs, qualified US Savings Bonds and taxable accounts. Even though the last pages of the booklet are dedicated to application forms for The Hartford, don't let that stop you from calling for this piece today. To order this piece, call The Hartford Mutual Funds at 888-843-7824 and ask for it by title
COLLEGE PLANNINGFinancing College, from The Vanguard Group. This 40-page, 8 1/2" x 11" booklet from the Plain Talk Library takes a eye-opening look at one of the biggest expenses today's families face: college education. "If recent annual increases were to continue at the same pace, the cost of one year at a public college for a resident student would rise from an average of around $10,500 today to $15,500 in a decade and nearly $23,000 in 20 years," the booklet states. Learn about college costs and how to prepare for them by investing, how to limit your tax liability on investment earnings and about other ways to pay for college, such as student loans. This resourceful guide will answer a lot of your questions and give you new ideas about how to prepare for college costs. To get this information free, call The Vanguard Group 800-662-7447 and request it by title. | 
| HOW WE FIGURE THINGS | | | Since the educational data we received comes from a variety of different sources---and in all different sizes and shapes---we figured it would be best to have specific labels for each differently sized piece. To keep things in order, we count everything: The front cover is one page, the inside cover, page 2, etc. Consequently, there will no doubt be a difference in the number of pages you read in the reviews about the piece and the number of pages printed in it. With that in mind, here's a legend that names the various sized pieces. Read through it and you'll know why we call booklets booklets and pamphlets pamphlets: Report. These are one- or two-page, often two-sided, reports on 8 1/2" x 11" papers. MFS and Pioneer have many of them.Mini-let. That's a one-page piece of paper of various sizes folded in various ways. Copy here might read: "8 12" x 17" paper folded in thirds".Pamphlet. Something with up to 12 pages---that includes counting the front and back cover pages, for a total of 4 pages right there. (This differs from the Mini-let in that these are separate pages and not part of one sheet of paper folded down.)Booklet. Any unbound piece over 12 pages in length, covers again being counted in as 4 pages.Tiny Book. All bound pieces, like some of the Scudder things. Count cover pages also. | |
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