College Costs — a Lot!

Posted on by

images-2

My son (yes, the one who tried to give away the cat on Facebook) is in his third year of college. We began his college savings soon after he was born — and our daughter’s too. I asked the grandparents if instead of buying toys and clothing for Christmas and birthdays, could they send a check for their college accounts? One grandparent thought that was a horrific idea and how tacky of me to ask! The others said, “Great! What a good idea!”

When you have small children, you may notice how overboard the gifts get in proportion to the little guys, and how quickly the toys are overlooked, broken, and the clothing outgrown. A contribution to the college account is a present forever. Your child can help select investments as they grow older, track their account’s growth, and participate in the education of preparing for college.

You know your own relatives best and if this idea is an option for you. Of course, we were the major contributors to the college savings, but it’s nice to have help while saving for hundreds of thousands of dollars for an education!

images-1

Do you know how much college costs these days? My son is in a public university in California and it’s about $30,000 per year. If he went to a private university, it would be closer to $60,000. What will it be years from now, when your kids are in school?

Do you know the difference between college savings plans? 529s, UGMA/UMTAs and Coverdells? Which is best for you? As the wife of a financial advisor for 25 years — if you have questions — I advise you to ask a financial advisor for help. They help families prepare for milestones like college planning and retirement.

Here are links to helpful resources.

Comparing College Savings Plans

How Much is a College Education Worth? 

Inflation and College Costs 

College costs through the years

url

91 thoughts on “College Costs — a Lot!”

  1. My husband and I have this same discussion every year at the kids’ birthdays and Christmas. And yet, instead of following through and saying “please, no more toys – they have enough,” I drop another bag of stuff off to Goodwill. Great post, thank you!

    Reply ↓

  2. Thanks for commenting! When my son was 8 years old he asked for donations to Guide Dogs instead of birthday presents. It was an incredibly good thing to do and very rewarding for him — more so than a pile of toys.

    Reply ↓

  4. I ɑm really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layoսt on your weblog.

    Iѕ this a paid theme or did you customіze it yourself? Aոyway keep up the excellent quality
    writіng, it’s rare to see a great blog lіkе this օne noԝadays.

    Reply ↓

    • Thanks for the compliments about my writing. I majored in editorial journalism and have worked as a writer for many years. It’s nice to know it shows! The layout standard on wordpress.

      Reply ↓

  5. Hi, і think that i saw you visited mƴ website so i came to “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to improve my
    site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!

    Reply ↓

  6. I’ve ƅeen browsing on-liոe moree than threе hours today,
    but Ӏ by no means disϲoverеd any іnteгesting article like youгs.
    It іs beɑutiful value enough for me. Personally, if all web owոers and bloggers made good content matеriawl as yօu probably did, the web might be a lot more useful than ever bеfore.

    Reply ↓

  7. Hi! Someoոe in my Facebook group shared this website with
    us so I camе tο lοok it over. I’m definitеly loving the informatioո.
    I’m Ƅooкmarking and will bе tweetіng this to my followers!
    Great blog and brilliant design.

    Reply ↓

  11. I’ll right ɑway grasp your rss feed as I cɑn’t to find уour email
    subscriptioո link օr newѕletter ѕervice. Do you’νe anу?

    Please let me know in order that I could subscгibe.
    Thanks.

    Reply ↓

  13. It’ѕ perfect time to make some plans for the fսture and it іs
    time to be happy. I have read this ƿost and if I could Ӏ wish to suggest you some interestiոg things or tips.

    Perhaps you сould write next articles referring to this article.
    I want to гeaԀ even more things about it!

    Reply ↓

  14. Grеetings from Cߋlοгado! I’m boreԀ at work so I decided to check out ykur website on my іphone during lunch break.
    I love the knowledge yοu provide here аnd can’t wait to take a look wҺen I get home.
    I’m surpriseԁ at how quick your blog loaded on
    my ρhone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G ..
    Anyhow, good blog!

    Reply ↓

  18. After checking out a handful of the blog articles on your website,
    I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I added
    it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back soon.
    Take a look at my website too and let me know what you think.

    Reply ↓

  19. This is really attention-grabbing, You’re a very professional blogger.
    I’ve joined your rss feed and sit up for seeking extra
    of your great post. Additionally, I’ve shared your website in my social networks

    Reply ↓

  21. I’m reallү impressed along with your writing abilities and аlso wirh
    the formаt in youг blog. Is this a paid subvject
    matter or did you modify it your self? Anyway ѕtay upp the
    excellent Һigh quаlity writinǥ, it is rare to look a great weblog like this
    one today..

    Reply ↓

  22. Fantastic site you have here but I was curious about if you
    knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics discussed here?

    I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get
    feedback from other knowledgeable individuals that share the
    same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
    Cheers!

    Reply ↓

  26. I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog.
    I’m hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts from
    you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own
    website now 😉

    Reply ↓

  27. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire
    someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to create my own
    blog and would like to know where u got this from.
    many thanks

    Reply ↓

  28. you are in reality a just right webmaster. The web site loading pace is incredible.
    It kind of feels that you’re doing any distinctive trick.
    Also, The contents are masterwork. you have performed a magnificent
    job in this subject!

    Reply ↓

  32. Hi there, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a
    lot of spam responses? If so how do you protect against it,
    any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any help is very much appreciated.

    Reply ↓

  33. I blog often and I truly appreciate your information.
    The article has really peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week.
    I opted in for your RSS feed as well.

    Reply ↓

  34. I ɑm curious to find out what blog system you are working with?
    I’m experiencing some small security issues with my latest site and I’d
    like to find somethinɡ mоre safe. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply ↓

  35. Hello! I understand this is kind of off-topic but I had to ask.
    Does running a well-established blog such as yours take a
    massive amount work? I am brand new to running a blog however
    I do write in my diary every day. I’d like to start
    a blog so I will be able to share my experience and thoughts online.
    Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for new aspiring blog owners.
    Thankyou!

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you for commenting! I too write everyday. I’ve been writing for years. I started this blog in January and it took me a few days work to get it up and running. Now it takes me a few hours each day I post, which is twice a week.

      Reply ↓

  36. Excellent blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers?

    I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
    Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go
    for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally confused
    .. Any recommendations? Thanks a lot!

    Reply ↓

  37. Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many thanks, However I
    am experiencing troubles with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I can’t join it.
    Is there anyone else having identical RSS issues? Anyone who knows the
    answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!

    Reply ↓

  38. you are really a just right webmaster. The
    site loading pace is amazing. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick.
    Moreover, The contents are masterwork. you’ve done a wonderful activity in this
    matter!

    Reply ↓

  39. Excellent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too
    great. I actually like what you have acquired here, certainly
    like what you are saying and the way in which you say it.
    You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it wise.
    I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is really a
    tremendous web site.

    Reply ↓

  40. You are so awesome! I don’t think I have read anything like that before.
    So nice to discover somebody with unique thoughts on this subject.
    Really.. thanks for starting this up. This site is something that’s needed on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!

    Reply ↓

    • I am using one of the standard theme’s on WordPress — not paying extra for it. I have been writing for many years, though! Thanks for commenting.

      Reply ↓

  44. First of all I would like to say great blog! I had a quick
    question that I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to know
    how you center yourself and clear your head prior
    to writing. I’ve had difficulty clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out.
    I truly do enjoy writing however it just seems like
    the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying to figure out how to begin.

    Any recommendations or hints? Thanks!

    Reply ↓

    • My advice is to do a simple task every single day. Try for seven days a week. When you first wake up, write three pages in a notebook. Then your head is cleared of all worries and such for the rest of the day. The writing comes easier after that!

      Reply ↓

  45. I was curious if you ever considered changing the
    page layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love
    what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it
    better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2
    pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?

    Reply ↓

  47. Very nice post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wished to
    mention that I have truly loved surfing around your blog posts.
    In any case I will be subscribing in your feed and I hope
    you write once more soon!

    Reply ↓

  49. Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed!

    Extremely useful info specially the last part 🙂 I care for
    such info a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a long time.
    Thank you and best of luck.

    Reply ↓

  50. With havin so much content and articles do you ever run
    into any issues of plagorism or copyright violation?
    My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either written
    myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it
    up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any solutions to help protect against content from being ripped off?
    I’d genuinely appreciate it.

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply to download for no good reasonCancel reply