As far as investing is concerned, risk and return go hand in hand. That is, you’ll have a hard time finding a fund with low risk and high return. Some sort of savings bond is a good idea if you want security. They generally have a return percentage that keeps pace with inflation.

You mentioned grants and scholarships. These are good ways of getting funds, especially if your children get good grades in high school. Financial aid is also available for households with limited income (in the U.S. and probably every other industrialized country). Another option is loans. Student loans can be had for a reasonable percentage and don’t need to be paid until the student leaves school, at which point they can be refinanced at a very reasonable rate.

If your children start at community colleges, which are much less expensive than universities, they can transition to a university after two years. With some care, most or all of the scholastic credit can be transferred. You’ll find that public universities aren’t terribly expensive, depending on where you go and what the word “expensive” means to you.

There are many ways for you to make college happen for your children. Don’t worry — it can be done even with limited means.

The best thing to do is go to your bank and talk with a financial officer. I would say that CD’s and other savings plans could help. If you do mutual funds make sure you talk with a person who has experience in the field not some new kid out of college they just hired on. Chances are you will have to take out loans and apply for grants but at least you will not have to ask for as much if you start saving now. I graduated last May and I lived at home while I was going to school. The books and tuition was about 3,400 per semester. I had resident status where I went to school so that meant my tuition was less that someone from out of state. Good luck I think it is great what you are doing.

At their ages, you would have to put away about $1000 per month in a high risk high reward equity and you could easily lose it all. You will never get there with a savings account or a money market certificate. You need about $100,000 for the 2 kids to send them to college and a little math shows that $1000 per month is a minimum you could salt away to make it by the time they are ready for college.

I wish you luck.

every once in a while put money in the bank. instead of buying the blouse you have wanted or the iPod for your kid’s birthday, you should put the money in a savings account. When the kids get money, encourage them to put it into college. It’s for their own good!

relies upon on the youngster – I got here from a canine loopy relatives – and that i picked out my first German Shepherd puppy at 6 years previous. With suggestions from my mom I experienced it and became feeding our relatives canine from the age of four – yet i theory something to do with canine/animals became exciting. Plus i became an surprisingly accountable youngster.

You can get free scholarship info here:

http://www.thebigwww.com/scholarship.html