Don’t Let Your Retirement be Destroyed By College Costs
A recent headline in Financial Advisor magazine read: Parents Say Retirement Imperiled By College Costs. The cost of raising children can be daunting. Recent reports tell us that the total cost of raising a child until they become an adult will be about $245,340. According to the USDA the biggest expense was housing, the second largest was education and child care.
Fifty-four percent of surveyed parents said they fear their retirement would be jeopardized by helping their children pay for college, according to a study by Citizens Financial Group.
About the same percentage are worried college costs will harm their overall financial stability.
The average cost of college currently ranges from $25,000 to over $50,000 per year and is rising rapidly. The cost has caused an explosion in the amount of student loans, with negative consequences for the graduates and the many who don’t graduate but still have to pay off the loans. It has also given rise to innovation in the delivery of education, including online courses that can be taken for college credit without having to move into a residential college.
Given the need for the credentials that college provides, it’s wise to use time to your advantage and begin when your child is young. The most versatile way of putting money aside for education is the “529” plan. The “529” allows the parent (or grandparent) to put money aside in a tax-deferred account and allow it to grow. When used for legitimate educational expenses the money can be taken free of tax.
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