Individual portfolios: Construct your strategy

If you want to manage your own investment strategy, College Savings Iowa 529 offers 10 individual portfolios to create your mix.

For investors seeking to have more control over their investment strategy, the 10 individual portfolios offer a variety of stock funds, bond funds, balanced funds and a short term reserves option.

When constructing your strategy, keep in mind:

You can only move money from one portfolio to another twice a year.
The portfolios do not automatically become more conservative over time.
Market movements may cause your overall investment mix to change, requiring you to rebalance to keep it in line with your strategy.

Find the right mix

Before you choose from our individual portfolios, complete our asset allocation questionnaire to help you determine an appropriate mix of stocks, bonds and short-term investments for your college savings.

Determine your asset allocation External website opens in a new window

Short-term reserve portfolio

Interest Accumulation Portfolio

100% short-term reserves

Investment objective

Seeks income consistent with the preservation of principal.

Underlying investment

Short-Term Reserves Account

Bond portfolios

Bond Index Portfolio

(Available only as an individual portfolio option.)

100% bonds

Investment objective

Seeks to track the performance of a broad, market-weighted bond index. In so doing, the Portfolio seeks to provide current income.

Underlying investment

100% Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Conservative Income Portfolio

75% bonds
25% short-term reserves

Investment objective

Seeks to provide current income.

Underlying investments

34.5% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

22.5% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

18% Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

25% Short-Term Reserves Account

Balanced portfolios

Growth Portfolio

80% stocks
20% bonds

Investment objective

Seeks to provide capital appreciation and some income.

Underlying investments

48% Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

32% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

14% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

6% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Moderate Growth Portfolio

60% stocks
40% bonds

Investment objective

Seeks to provide moderate levels of capital appreciation and income.

Underlying investments

36% Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

24% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

28% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

12% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Conservative Growth Portfolio

40% stocks
60% bonds

Investment objective

Seeks to provide moderate levels of income and capital appreciation.

Underlying investments

24% Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

16% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

42% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

18% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Income Portfolio

20% stocks
80% bonds

Investment objective

Seeks to provide income and some capital appreciation.

Underlying investments

12% Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

8% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

56% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

24% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Stock portfolios

Total International Stock Index Portfolio

(Available only as an individual portfolio option.)

100% stocks

Investment objective

Seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of stocks of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States.

Underlying investment

100% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Aggressive Growth Portfolio

100% stocks

Investment objective

Seeks to provide capital appreciation.

Underlying investments

60% Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

40% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

Total Domestic Stock Index Portfolio

(Available only as an individual portfolio option.)

100% stocks

Investment objective

Seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of the overall stock market.

Underlying investment

100% Vanguard Institutional Total Stock Market Index Fund P D F document opens in a new window

All investments are subject to risks. Foreign investing involves additional risks including currency fluctuations and political uncertainty. Investments in bonds are subject to interest rate, credit, and inflation risk.

Vanguard Conservative Income Portfolio and Vanguard Interest Accumulation Portfolio both invest in Vanguard Short-Term Reserves Account, which, in turn, invests in Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund. The Vanguard Short-Term Reserves Account could lose money by investing in the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time.

Portfolios with higher allocations to bonds and short-term investments tend to be less volatile than those with higher stock allocations. Less volatile portfolios generally may not decline in value as much when markets decline, but also may not appreciate in value as much when markets go up.