<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 B000000 12/31/96
000 C000000 0000915758
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0.a
000 J000000 U
001 A000000 PRINCIPAL ASSET ALLOCATION
001 B000000 811-8178
001 C000000 5152475476
002 A000000 THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP
002 B000000 DES MOINES
002 C000000 IA
002 D010000 50392
002 D020000 0200
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
020 A000001 ROBINSON HUMPHRIES C.
020 B000001 58-1472560
020 C000001 15
020 A000002 INSTINET CO.
020 B000002 13-2596491
020 C000002 9
020 A000003 BRIDGE TRADING CO.
020 B000003 43-1450530
020 C000003 6
020 A000004 WEEDEN & CO.
020 B000004 13-3287114
020 C000004 6
020 A000005 DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS
020 B000005 94-1671384
020 C000005 4
020 A000006 LEGG MASON WOOD WALKER, INC.
020 B000006 52-0902557
020 C000006 4
020 A000007 GOLDMAN SACHS CO.
020 B000007 13-5108880
020 C000007 4
020 A000008 ABEL NOSER
020 B000008 13-2833084
020 C000008 4
020 A000009 MERRILL LYNCH
020 B000009 13-5674085
020 C000009 4
020 A000010 FIRST BOSTON CORP.
<PAGE> PAGE 2
020 B000010 13-5659485
020 C000010 4
021 000000 109
022 A000001 DEUTSCHE BANK CAPITAL, NY
022 B000001 13-6124068
022 C000001 3024
022 D000001 3708
022 A000002 SALOMON BROTHERS
022 B000002 13-3082694
022 C000002 3708
022 D000002 2509
022 A000003 LEHMAN BROTHERS
022 B000003 13-2501865
022 C000003 3647
022 D000003 949
022 A000004 BARCLAY, DE ZOETE, WEDD
022 B000004 13-3297824
022 C000004 2008
022 D000004 2346
022 A000005 MERRILL LYNCH
022 B000005 13-5674085
022 C000005 2694
022 D000005 1099
022 A000006 DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE (DLJ)
022 B000006 13-2741729
022 C000006 1834
022 D000006 1778
022 A000007 BEAR STEARNS & CO.
022 B000007 13-3299429
022 C000007 1665
022 D000007 1661
022 A000008 NATWEST SECURITIES CORP.
022 B000008 13-3312778
022 C000008 1541
022 D000008 0
022 A000009 GOLDMAN SACHS CO.
022 B000009 13-5108880
022 C000009 1078
022 D000009 329
022 A000010 FIRST BOSTON CORP.
022 B000010 13-5659485
022 C000010 618
022 D000010 455
023 C000000 25062
023 D000000 17464
027 000000 Y
028 A010000 2659
028 A020000 0
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 0
028 B010000 1239
<PAGE> PAGE 3
028 B020000 0
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 266
028 C010000 482
028 C020000 0
028 C030000 0
028 C040000 71
028 D010000 2493
028 D020000 0
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 2081
028 E010000 398
028 E020000 0
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 360
028 F010000 877
028 F020000 2244
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 312
028 G010000 8148
028 G020000 2244
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 3090
028 H000000 0
055 A000000 N
055 B000000 N
056 000000 N
057 000000 N
062 A000000 N
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.0
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 0.0
062 N000000 0.0
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 0.0
062 Q000000 0.0
062 R000000 0.0
066 A000000 Y
066 B000000 N
066 C000000 N
066 D000000 N
066 E000000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 4
066 F000000 N
066 G000000 Y
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
071 A000000 65579
071 B000000 48241
071 C000000 44603
071 D000000 108
072 A000000 12
072 B000000 1547
072 C000000 753
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 425
072 G000000 0
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 0
072 J000000 30
072 K000000 0
072 L000000 0
072 M000000 8
072 N000000 0
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 0
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 0
072 S000000 0
072 T000000 0
072 U000000 0
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 1
072 X000000 464
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 1836
072AA000000 4150
072BB000000 0
072CC010000 715
072CC020000 0
072DD010000 1838
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 3447
073 A010000 0.3557
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.6964
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 4572
074 B000000 0
074 C000000 0
074 D000000 16511
<PAGE> PAGE 5
074 E000000 241
074 F000000 42475
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 0
074 J000000 135
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 318
074 M000000 0
074 N000000 64252
074 O000000 48
074 P000000 0
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 2573
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 61631
074 U010000 5369
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 11.48
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 2
074 Y000000 0
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 52836
076 000000 0.00
077 A000000 Y
077 B000000 Y
077 C000000 N
077 D000000 N
077 E000000 N
077 F000000 N
077 G000000 N
077 H000000 N
077 I000000 N
077 J000000 N
077 K000000 N
077 L000000 N
077 M000000 N
077 N000000 N
077 O000000 N
077 P000000 N
077 Q010000 N
077 Q020000 N
077 Q030000 N
080 A000000 ICI MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
080 C000000 14000
081 A000000 Y
<PAGE> PAGE 6
081 B000000 26
082 A000000 N
082 B000000 0
083 A000000 N
083 B000000 0
084 A000000 N
084 B000000 0
085 A000000 Y
085 B000000 N
SIGNATURE A. S. FILEAN
TITLE V. PRES. & SECRETARY
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 55636193
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 59227847
<RECEIVABLES> 452724
<ASSETS-OTHER> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 4571515
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 64252086
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 48428
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 2572520
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 2620948
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 56894864
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 5369370
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 3697872
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 18594
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 1126026
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 3591654
<NET-ASSETS> 61631138
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 753540
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1547262
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> (464468)
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 1836334
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 4149766
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 715006
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 6701106
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (1837566)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (3447188)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 1770239
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (337801)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 239060
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 20557100
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 19826
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 423448
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 425427
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 464468
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 53233521
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.11
<PER-SHARE-NII> .36
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 1.06
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (.36)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (.69)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 11.48
<EXPENSE-RATIO> .87
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
Report of Independent Auditors on Internal Control Structure
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Principal Asset Allocation Fund, Inc.
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of Principal
Asset Allocation Fund, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 1996, we considered
its internal control structure, including procedures for safeguarding
securities, in order to determine our auditing procedures for the purpose of
expressing our opinion on the financial statements and to comply with the
requirements of Form N-SAR, not to provide assurance on the internal control
structure.
The management of Principal Asset Allocation Fund, Inc. is responsible for
establishing and maintaining an internal control structure. In fulfilling this
responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the
expected benefits and related costs of internal control structure policies and
procedures. Two of the objectives of an internal control structure are to
provide management with reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets are
safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition and that
transactions are executed in accordance with management's authorization and
recorded properly to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of inherent limitations in any internal control structure, errors or
irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also, projection of any evaluation
of the structure to future periods is subject to the risk that it may become
inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness of the
design and operation may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the internal control structure would not necessarily
disclose all matters in the internal control structure that might be material
weaknesses under standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the design or
operation of the specific internal control structure elements does not reduce to
a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in amounts that
would be material in relation to the financial statements being audited may
occur and not be detected within a timely period by employees in the normal
course of performing their assigned functions. However, we noted no matters
involving the internal control structure, including procedures for safeguarding
securities, that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of
December 31, 1996.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management and the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
/s/ Ernst & Young
Des Moines, Iowa
January 17, 1997