The Vaughn / McLaughlin Team
of Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
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College Savings

Aside from saving for retirement, developing a strategy for financing a college education may be one of the most important investment exercises you will ever undertake.

This calculator can help provide some insight on the level of savings you will need in order to pay for your child or grandchild's education. In addition to the assumptions explained below, there still are other variables to consider. For a better and more detailed analysis please contact us, and we will work with you to develop a customized plan.

Definitions

Age of children
The current age of your children. This calculator is based on your children beginning their college education at age 18. The difference between their current age and 18 is the number of years you have to save.

Annual tuition
The current estimated cost of one year of tuition and books. This amount should be per child and be specific to the school they may be interested in attending. The average published costs of college, for the 2008-09 school year, including tuition, room and board, books, supplies, transportation and other personal expenses, as reported by the College Board:

For the purposes of this calculator all expenses are assumed to be due at the end of the year.

Room and board
The current estimated cost of one-year room and board. Like tuition and books, this amount should be per child and specific to the school they may be interested in attending. For the purposes of this calculator, all expenses are assumed to be due at the end of the year.

Education cost inflation
This is the percentage that you expect educational costs to increase per year. Data provided by The College Board's "Trends in College Pricing 2008" put tuition, room and board increases at approximately 6.4% per year, for the last ten years.

Current amount
The total amount you currently have saved for your child's (or children's) education.

Monthly contributions
The dollar amount you plan to save per month toward your child's (or children's) education. All amounts are assumed to be added to your account at the beginning of the month.

Rate of return
This is the annually compounded rate of return you expect from your investments. This will also be the rate used if you end up with a negative balance, and need to borrow money to meet your goal. The actual rate of return is largely dependent on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2008, the average annual compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 9.7% (source: www.standardandpoors.com). During this period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, from June 1982 through June 1983. The lowest 12-month return was -39%, which happened twice, once from September 1973 to September 1974 and again from November 2007 to November 2008. Savings accounts at a bank may pay as little as 1% or less but carry significantly lower risk of loss of principal balances.

It is important to remember that these scenarios are hypothetical and that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are generally subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment. It is not possible to invest directly in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not reflect sales charges and other fees that funds and/or investment companies may charge.

Information and interactive calculators are made available to you as self-help tools for your independent use and are not intended to provide investment advice. We cannot and do not guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and are for illustrative purposes. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding all personal finance issues.

Calculators are provided by an independent third party and are being made available to you as self-help tools for your independent use and are not intended to provide investment advice or be representative of actual results. We do not guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. The determinations made by these calculators should not be construed as guarantees or projections. Moreover, the reasonableness of certain information may change over time because of changes in tax law, investment trends and your personal circumstances. The information contained here is based on current law and has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but we do not guarantee its accuracy. Investment results can vary considerably depending on the type of securities involved, general market conditions and other factors. It is important that you periodically review and update your plans. Raymond James does not provide tax or legal advice. You should contact your tax or legal advisor concerning your particular situation. All investments carry a degree of risk, and past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

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