VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc. (VFA) can help you realize your dream of an excellent college education for your children or grandchildren. With access to a broad range of investments from nationally recognized investment managers, your financial advisor has the flexibility to help you design a unique funding program tailored to your goals and objectives.

Create a college funding program

Once you determine how much you will need, your financial advisor can help you set up an investment program, step by step. For example, advisors can help you:

• Determine your risk profile: The rule is simple: For every level of reward, there exists an associated level of risk. Your ability to tolerate risk depends on your investment time horizon and attitude toward fluctuations in the value of your investments.

• Decide how to allocate your assets: Based on your risk profile, you can build an investment portfolio by allocating your assets among different types of investments. When building a portfolio, keep in mind that an investment in stock and bond funds involves risk of market fluctuations or possible loss of principal.

• Choose the appropriate investments: Working with your financial advisor, you're ready to create a diversified portfolio. Based on asset allocation suited to your college funding requirements, you – assisted by your financial advisor – can select the appropriate investment options.

One of the most important steps in choosing the right plan is to decide between a prepaid plan and a college savings plan. We lean strongly toward college savings plans, which offer you much more flexibility – both in terms of investments and the way you use the money to pay college expenses.