What to Do When Your Kid's College Fund is Tanking

The stock market hasn't been kind to investors in recent months, and that could be taking a toll on the Section 529 college savings accounts that many parents have set up for their kids. But families need to think carefully before tinkering too much with these tax-favored plans.

Setting money aside in a 529 plan offers tax benefits for families saving for college. A key thing to determine, experts say, is whether it's a good program that has merely hit a rough patch or whether it's basically flawed, with high fees and poor investment options.

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