Hey guys i know it aint a loan but its close. When i file my FASFA next semester everyone says take all my money out of my bank accounts so i get more aid. Ive always wanted to invest so i thought id give it a try to they count how much money you have in stocks against you, since it can vary daily?

On the FAFSA you will declare all of your assets, including investments.
Be honest with financial aid. If there are any issues, you can always appeal the award.

I agree with the last post. Be honest.
A few things to keep in mind- Assets will not have any bearing on how much you receive in student loans (Stafford) when filling out the FAFSA. It will depend on the number of college credits you have at time of certification, and your dependency status. You can make $100k per year and you will get the same amount of Stafford loans as an unemployed applicant.
The only difference in the loans is you may be eligible for only unsubsidized loans if your EFC is high due to income or assets. Most students get a mix of subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Those applicants with very high EFC scores will receive only unsub loans.

The other factor is federal grants. Your assets and income will have a big effect on Pell grant eligibility.

And yes, they count stocks, retirement accounts, etc.

You might be able to skip the assets section, not all schools require it.


I didn't do it for my FAFSA and still got pell grant and some other non-loan financial aid.

Some individuals can skip the assets section on the FAFSA, but it is not the school that determines this. This will be determined as you enter information into the FAFSA application. If you are able to skip that section it will inform you while completing the application.

Also, if you are selected for verification you will be required to submit your tax forms, and all that asset information will be required if it shows on any line of the 1040. If you are selected for verification and failed to list assets that you have on the FAFSA, and the assets are indicated on tax forms, your EFC score will be revised. You can quickly go from Pell eligile to not eligible.
My best guess is that 1/2 to 2/3 of all Pell eligible (low EFC) applicants are now selected for verification.

Thanks guys for the advice both my parents are disabled so i have the second highest income in my family at 15k a year working part time so i get ALOT of money form the Pell grants i wanted to invest in the stock market with everything being cheap but now i don't think i will.