Whether you are just starting to think about having kids or you have a little one in your life already, the issue of paying for college or their higher education is something you have probably started to think about already. After all, it’s not cheap, and prices have increased by over 1000% in the last ten years. In fact, you can expect to pay upwards of $30,000 for a decent private college education, and $9000 for a year at a public college for your offspring. With that in mind, it is wise to begin planning and saving even while the kids are young, so you have the best chance of being able to fund their education later on. Keep reading to find out more.
Get some advice
First, before you start to implement any of your financial plans, it is important that you get some professional advice. Luckily, there are lots of specialist financial planners like Partridge Muir & Warren that can help you work out just how much you need to save, as well as provide suggestion on how to do this.
The good thing about using a professional instead of relying purely on research that you have done for yourself on the subject is that they will be able to take a holistic view and help you realize you other financial goals at the same time. This means you will have a much better quality of life, in addition to being able to help your kids with the costs of being a student.
Start now
Next, it’s vital no matter what your plan is to pay for your kid’s education is, that you start as soon as possible. The reason for this is that it is much easier to acquire a large sum of money over a more extended length of time.
For example, if you choose to invest in the stock market, you would have to find a huge sum to get the return you need if you only had a year. However, a much more reasonable amount could be invested now, and left in over a period of ten years or more to mature. An action that specialists suggest can usually provide a return on your original investment of around 9%.
The same goes for others investment opportunities, including buying property and lending money on a peer to peer platform. Although, do check the expected returns as these are not all as high as 9%.
Cut back
Last of all, saving what you can now is a valuable way of contributing to your kid’s future college fund. To do this, it can be useful to find small ways in which you can cut back on your spending and then store this money away to invest later.
Use special offers as they do above to save money on your food shop.
It’s best to do this in one area at a time, so the shock of a reduced budget isn’t too great. Start with using coupons and special offers for your groceries and cutting your bill by around $50 a month and build up from there. After all, a $50 a month saving over 15 years is 9000 dollars, an amount that could pay for a year in an in a state public college for your kid.
