Timely and Relevant News: Protecting College Savings in a Volatile Market


Protecting College Savings
Investors in 529 plans may have noticed a recent dip in their accounts due to market volatility. It is important not to panic and make any moves that would be detrimental to the planning process.

"In fact, most money invested in 529 college saving plans is allocated to 'age based' portfolios, which automatically scale back risk as the matriculation date approaches. While younger beneficiaries such as newborns may be 100% allocated to stocks (since their college entry time horizon is over 15 years away), high school students will typically have far less exposure to stocks and more money invested in bonds and cash since their time to matriculation is much shorter," describes G. Ward Keever, President & CEO of Covenant Wealth Strategies.

Should I Keep Funding The 529 Account?
Experts encourage those who are making regular automatic contributions to 529 accounts to continue doing so in order to take advantage of dollar cost averaging. This is the process of investing a fixed amount of money at a predetermined interval. After 18 years of investing, the average cost per share will have represented both high prices and low prices.

In 2008 when the stock market crashed, many investors pulled their money out completely and locked in their losses. However, according to a study done by Fidelity, "Baby Boomers who continued making contributions to their 401(k) plans during the Great Recession tripled their account balances from 2007-2017."

If you have any specific questions or would like to discuss your own investment strategy or financial planning needs, we welcome you to call us at 302.234.5655 or email us at  contactus@covenantwealthstrategies.com to set up a mutually convenient date/time to speak.