This chart illustrates the benefits of staying diversified and invested over the long term, from a child’s birth until college. It shows the best, worst and average annual returns over rolling 18-year periods for four different investments: 1) cash, 2) stocks, 3) bonds and 4) a 50-50 mix of stocks and bonds. Key takeaway: The diversified portfolio has historically delivered the best of both worlds – higher returns than cash, bonds and tuition inflation, with lower volatility than stocks.