Treasurer Zweifel Introduces Interactive Tools to Make College Planning Easy as 1-2-3

Resources are part of redeveloped MOST 529 Web site

If you think figuring out how to pay for college is as tough as actually earning a college degree, new interactive savings and investments tools from MOST-Missouri’s529College SavingsPlan can make the planning process considerably easier at the redeveloped www.most529savings.com.

"The redesigned MOST 529 Web site provides a wide range of valuable information about planning for college," said State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who administers the plan. "Particularly helpful are calculators for determining how much to save for a college education and asset allocation tools for figuring out how to invest contributions to the MOST 529 plan. Our goal with providing these tools is to help make it easier for plan participants to make smart saving and investment decisions for a child’s future. The tools also help show how small investments can make a big impact."

To access the tools, simply go to www.most529savings.com and click under the "Planning and Education" tab, then "Resources for College Savers," followed by "Vanguard’s College Planning Tools." Among the tools are:

* "How Much Do I Need to Save?" Input how much is already saved and what will be contributed monthly or annually, and the calculator will tell if more is needed. Different assumptions can be entered to come up with a workable game plan.
* "How Should I Diversify My Investments?" This interactive tool provides two options for determining the investments to choose based on the level of risk the account owner is comfortable taking.

The MOST 529 site also offers plenty of other investment education in the "Planning and Education" tab, including "Investing Basics" for an overview of asset classes, risk and diversification and "How to Choose Investments" for selecting the appropriate mix of investments for your risk tolerance and goals.

MOST 529 ranked in the top 10 of Savingforcollege.com’s best-performing 529 plans for investment performance for the one- and three-year periods ending June 30, 2009. The plan features a variety of benefits and investment choices designed to make saving for a child’s future easy and affordable. Plan participants can start saving with as little as $25 and can make additional contributions of $25 or more whenever they like. Contributions and earnings grow free of federal and Missouri state income taxes, and can be withdrawn tax-free when used for the beneficiary’s qualified higher-education expenses. Missourians who are account owners qualify for a state income tax deduction on their contributions. Participants can choose from a variety of investment options from Vanguard and Missouri-based American Century Investments.

Visit www.most529savings.com or www.treasurer.mo.gov for more information about the MOST 529 plan.

# # #