Being Prepared for College Savings
It’s summer. The kids are enjoying the warm weather and playing joyfully, unaware of the concerns their parents might have for their future education. Before you know, that sweet little baby of yours will be grown up, graduating high school, and in the blink of an eye, college preparations will be upon you.
Unless you plan ahead, it’s all too likely that you will be part of the majority of American families who do not have a college savings plan in place.
According to a Sallie Mae study, only 39% percent of families have a plan to pay for college tuition. That means that the remaining 61% of families are left having to take out loans to cover the costs.
Whether the reasons for not saving are that the family is afraid of not qualifying for financial aid, or that they simply don’t have the income to support a savings plan, or that they just aren’t informed of all their options, the bottom line is that it’s better to be over prepared than under prepared. The point to keep in mind is that college should not come as a surprise when your teen graduates high school. The statistics would seem to indicate that it often does.
On average, families pay for college through a combination of resources. Savings, grants, scholarships, student loans, or personal loans. A 529 College Savings Plan is probably one of the most intelligent thing you could do in anticipation of the coming expenditure for tuition and other costs that go along with a college education.
Something to keep in mind is that you can view your savings as an investment in your child’s future. The New York Times released a study that showed Americans with four-year college degrees earned 98% more per hour than workers without degrees.
In order to be ready when that day comes, it would be wise to start preparing today. Find a good college savings calculator, so you can start to bridge the gap between the money you currently have and the money you’ll need.
It’s also important to note that you shouldn’t sacrifice your retirement savings to pay into the college fund. You can always take out a loan for college, but you can’t always take out a loan to fund your retirement. Speaking of loans, it’s usually better to take a federal student loan before a private student loan. It would also be wise to think in terms of this–only borrow as much as your college student is expected to earn in their first working year.
No matter how you approach it, planning ahead with enough time to effectively set aside enough money for college will reduce stress and boost your financial well-being overall.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
Material contained in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be used in connection with the evaluation of any investments offered by David Lerner Associates, Inc. This material does not constitute an offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities and should not be considered in connection with the purchase or sale of securities.
To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law.
Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances.
These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable– we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice.
David Lerner Associates does not provide tax or legal advice. The information presented here is not specific to any individual's personal circumstances. Member FINRA & SIPC