Does the total amount of investments on the FAFSA affect the expected family contribution?

Question:

My EFC came back very high, so we were wondering if my dad moves all the money from his bank account into stocks, would that affect my EFC, as that money is not readily available. So in essence, the total of the numbers on my FAFSA would remain the same, just in different places. Does this make a difference?

Answer:
The only way moving the investments would help is if your parents put the money in retirement accounts (IRA, Roth IRA, 401K, etc.)

This FAQ might help you: http://www.slfaloan.com/loanmgt/faq.asp...
How are assets evaluated when applying for financial aid?

"Income and assets are evaluated based on the information you have provided on your FAFSA. Income is considered far more than assets in determining financial aid eligibility. Financial aid calculations may expect parents to contribute up to only 6 percent of their savings, but up to 47 percent of their available income to a dependent's education costs."

And the section on "What about shifting assets?" is good: http://www.salliemae.com/before_college/...
"Only a maximum of 5.64% of your assets are counted in the financial aid formula."

Basically, shifting money around to sorta hide it from the FAFSA folks won't change your EFC by much.

Does the total amount of investments on the FAFSA affect the expected family contribution?

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