Visions of your child donning cap and gown at a college commencement ceremony may inspire you to start a savings account right away. But your child's college fund isn't the most pressing financial priority, say the experts. While Junior has financial aid opportunities ahead, families won't have the same fallback plan for other types of expenses.

Saving for college doesn't necessarily have to be at the bottom of your list, but you should put your money in these three places before starting a dedicated account.

Pay Down Credit Card Bills

Ideally, a 529 college savings account grows 6% to 8% per year. Even if you're lucky enough to get such good returns, saving for college before paying off high-interest credit card debt doesn't make sense, says Bill Olsen, managing partner with Asset Strategies Group, a financial advisory firm headquartered in San Antonio.

"The habit needs to be fixed that created the debt in the first place," he says. "We continuously run into people that will work for three years and pay down a credit card debt -- and then turn right back around and run it right back up."

Paying off credit card debt can also qualify families for more federal financial aid and better interest rates on private student loans. The government doles out need-based grants, work-study jobs and some loans based on a family's income and assets, but it doesn't take outstanding debts into consideration. Federal Stafford student loans with favorable rates are available to nearly all two-year, four-year and graduate students enrolled at least half time, regardless of their credit scores. However, private student loans and federal Parent PLUS loans require families to pass a credit check.

Olsen adds that other high-interest debts such as pricey auto or personal loans should also take precedence over college savings.

"Any interest rate that is above 5% and is not tax-deductible should be attacked right away," he says.

Build up Rainy-Day Fund

Once funds are in a college savings vehicle, there are usually incentives to keep them there. Account holders of 529 plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts pay a 10% penalty on interest earned by the accounts and back federal income taxes on fund growth if the funds withdrawn are not used for a qualified expense.

To ensure families can cover unexpected costs, George Long, a financial adviser with Sapient Financial Group in San Antonio, recommends stockpiling an emergency fund of at least three months' worth of expenses before saving for college.

"If you feel that your industry is under scrutiny or that your job is not guaranteed, it may be wise to have six (months' worth), maybe even a year of your expenses put aside," he says.

Long adds that preparing for a rainy day also means spending money now on items such as health, life and disability insurance to safeguard against a catastrophe.

"If you start putting $100 a month into a college fund and do that for five years, you're going to have about $7,000, depending on the return," he says. "However, if we took $50 a month and we bought you term life insurance and there was an unforeseen death, what's going to be the better use to your family: a $7,000 college fund or maybe a $1 million death benefit?"

Have a Retirement Plan








