Families with college savings in the stock market are likely concerned after watching the recent dramatic fall in stock prices. Worry is understandable. Like a number of things in the college admissions process, the stock market is out of our immediate control. No matter how badly we want to push that line in an upward trajectory, the market does what the market does, and we need to accept and remember that this is the ebb and flow of investing. That reality does not mean, however, that we need to be passive observers of—or blind reactors to—what happens to our college savings. Tough economic times remind us more than ever that we need to take control of what we can in our finances, pay attention to our goals, and implement strategies most likely to make our goals a reality. As the stock market rises and falls, college savers should keep these points in mind:
