BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE the tertiary fund is not worth it at all. In fact I have lost money. When I signed up 19 years ago, my son was one week old. The nice ASG man convinced us to take out the tertiary fund and after discussing further we decided to go ahead. I have no issues with the secondary education fund - that all went hassle free and did what it was meant to do.

However, at one week old, who knows what your child will be doing once they leave school?? It is all based on assumptions. My son has now decided to do an apprenticeship and because of that, he is not entitled to any funding. I have received back only what I contributed - but lost an equal amount as we are not entitled to the interest. If I had put that money into the bank or off my mortgage, I would now be in a better position.

My money is now going to fund other children. This was never my intention. Beware people. [redacted inflammatory comment] Put your money into a managed bank fund or into your mortgage, but definitely not into ASG.

I surrendered my older funds and transferred them into the new Pathway Education Fund. It's more flexible and has few of the rules associated with the former products. I'm happy to invest $209 a month and have experienced no problems.

I have put four children through ASG commencing 1996. Two children are now at University and two children now at High School.

ASG has never missed a payment and the fund pays about 80% of their total education costs each year. None of my kids will end up with a HECS debt. I do not have to stress when the school fees arrive as I know the money is already in a separate account waiting for the bill.
Yes you have to be be disciplined for twenty years or so and the returns are slightly below what was originally projected (probably due to the GFC) but it has certainly done what was expected.
I encountered a lot of negativity about ASG from smart investors 20 years ago when I first joined but ASG are still here and paying out every year without fuss.
The irony was that due to the negative publicity 20 years ago I also opened a managed fund at the same time just in case. (The Money Show's Advance International Fund). The fund went backwards for about 10 years and when it finally broke even I used the funds to pay for an unexpected bill. It was too easy to pull the money out. I couldn't do that with ASG so the funds went where they were supposed to and my children are now benefitting.
I have no direct association with ASG only 20 years experience of using their product.

I've been a member for long enough to have my children reap the rewards of us saving for their education. The scholarship payments paid for their Uni books and we gave them our members benefit, the money we invested, to help pay their HECS.

Interesting reading. I have found ASG extremely pushy and secretive.
We have one child with a fund set up by a grandparent, no information is available to us and we have not received any money despite my daughter reaching the eligible age for an annual payment. The grandparent now has Alziemers and not much help. ASG happy to give the run around and won't speak to us at all about the account.
Yet when we were considering creating an account for our other children, we were bombarded with pushy phone calls for several months, then for several weeks around the time of their birthdays.

I still do not know what the Education Fund Secondary School annual member benefit amount was for this year, which we should have received last December. ASG will not even give rough average return figure. Our daughters fund was commenced 13 years ago with a one off payment. Anybody have any ideas?
BTW did I mention that they are extremely rude upon my inquiries, despite my unwavering polite patience. Makes me worry they are going under.

I have two children signed up for tertiary and secondary funds and we receive about $1800-$2000 each December per child. You get these payments for 6 years through the high school years. It was a forced saving for us and I am sure we would not have accumulated this money without using ASG (or a similar product). Unfortunately with regard to the tertiary fund, it seems the salesperson exaggerated the projections and the payments are likely to not even cover the uni fees, let alone books or 'living allowances'.

The worst company to deal with. If you need to cancel your membership, ASG have the worst policies. ASG need signed letter by both parents, copy of driver licence, copy of DOB, FK you can't be serious !!! Stay clear from this shonky company.

I am completely over the non existent customer service and delay in making scholarship payments. Further the projections were unrealistic and each year I need to go through an inquisition just to get what is owed. Today I was told that they cannot open pdf files containing my childrens uni results that I sent 2 montgs ago! I seriously regret signing up my three children some 20 years ago. If you are considering ASG..dont do it

Woeful customer service and I don't know what systems they use but I think they were designed in the 1930s.

After endless difficulties with them - they miss payments every year and I have to chase and chase and chase to get them reissued - by cheque as for some reason they can't pay directly into a bank account like everyone else in the 21st century - I have decided to withdraw.

Talked to the service rep and she said she would mail me the withdrawal form (no, it's not on their website).

Me: Can you email it?
She: Well I could arrange for it to be emailed, but that's done by another department, and I know they're pretty backed up. I think you would receive it sooner if I posted it.

OMG!!!

Would not recommend there customer service. I had 3 differenT people tell me different things.