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COLLEGE PLANNING

Fund College on Your Terms, Without Sacrificing Your Own Goals

College is expensive, but planning ahead gives you options. We help you fund education in a tax-efficient way without sacrificing your other goals.

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No AUM fees. No commissions. No asset minimum.

WHAT HELPING WITH COLLEGE MEANS

There's No Single Right Way to Help

Families don't have to choose between paying for everything and paying for nothing. The first decision is simply defining what you want your contribution to accomplish.

Fully funding college
Covering tuition while the student handles the rest
Funding an in-state public university benchmark
Paying a set percentage of the cost
Combining savings with future cash flow
Contributing what fits after protecting other priorities

COLLEGE AND THE REST OF YOUR PLAN

Your Children Can Borrow for College. You Can't Borrow for Retirement.

That doesn't mean ignoring college savings or automatically putting retirement ahead of everything else. It's a practical planning principle: understanding the tradeoff lets you make an intentional choice instead of an accidental one. Some families choose to retire a little later so they can contribute more toward college, and that can be the right decision when it reflects what matters most to them.

BUILDING THE PLAN

Four Decisions Worth Making Deliberately

How Much Do You Want to Cover?

Define what helping with college means for your family rather than relying on an arbitrary target.

How Much Should You Save?

Determine an appropriate contribution while balancing retirement, current spending, and other goals.

Where Should the Money Go?

Evaluate the tax benefits and flexibility of a 529 plan and whether another account is appropriate for part of the goal.

How Should It Be Invested?

Choose an investment approach based on the child's age, the time until college, and when the money will be needed.

PLANNING FOR THE UNKNOWN

You Don't Need to Know Everything to Start Saving

You may not know whether your child will attend college, which school they'll choose, what it will cost, whether scholarships will be available, or whether another path will make more sense. That uncertainty is a reason to build a flexible plan, not a reason to wait.

529 plans are built with that flexibility in mind. The beneficiary can be changed to another eligible family member, and qualifying unused funds may be eligible for a limited rollover to the beneficiary's Roth IRA if specific requirements are met. Funds not used for education are still accessible, though the earnings portion of a nonqualified withdrawal is generally subject to tax and a penalty.

Questions We Help Families Answer

"Are we saving enough for college?"

"How much should we save each month?"

"Can we afford to send our child to the school they want to attend?"

"Should we try to pay for all four years?"

"Should we use a 529 plan or another account?"

"How do we balance college with retirement and our other goals?"

COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions about college planning.

How much to save depends on how much of the total cost you want to cover, how many years you have until college, and what else you're balancing, like retirement. Rather than relying on a generic rule of thumb, we translate that goal into a specific monthly or annual savings target and revisit it as college costs and your other priorities change. Many families choose to cover a meaningful portion rather than the full cost, which changes the target significantly.
The right monthly contribution depends on your savings goal, how many years remain until college, and the expected investment return on the account, so there's no universal dollar amount that fits every family. A larger contribution over more years reduces the amount you'll need to fund later or borrow, but it also competes with retirement savings and other priorities. We calculate a specific monthly target based on your goal and timeline, then adjust it as circumstances change.
In general, most families should prioritize retirement savings first, since your child can borrow for college but you generally can't borrow for retirement. That doesn't mean college savings should wait: some families intentionally save less for retirement to give more toward college, which can be a reasonable choice made deliberately. We help you weigh that tradeoff based on your complete financial picture rather than defaulting to one or the other.
For most families, a 529 plan is often a strong starting point, offering tax-deferred growth, tax-free withdrawals for qualified expenses, and account-owner control; many states also offer a tax deduction or credit for contributions, which can make an in-state plan more attractive. A custodial account offers more flexibility in how funds can be used but transfers control to the child at the applicable age, while a taxable account offers full flexibility with none of the tax benefits. The best fit depends on your state's tax benefit, how much control you want to retain, and how certain the money will be used for education.
A 529 plan should generally shift from growth-oriented investments toward more conservative holdings as college approaches, similar to how a target-date fund works. With more time until college, a family can typically accept more market risk in pursuit of growth; as the timeline shortens, protecting the money you'll need soon becomes more important. We help clients choose an initial investment approach and adjust it as the timeline gets shorter.
529 funds can be used tax-free for tuition, fees, room and board (if enrolled at least half-time), books, and required equipment or supplies at eligible colleges, universities, and many vocational and trade programs. Funds can also cover a limited amount of K-12 tuition and certain apprenticeship program expenses. Using funds for a nonqualified expense doesn't eliminate access to the money, but the earnings portion of that withdrawal becomes subject to income tax and a 10% penalty.
A parent-owned 529 plan is treated as a parental asset on financial aid applications, which is assessed at a modest rate, so it has a limited effect on aid eligibility compared to assets held in the student's name. Qualified distributions from a parent-owned account generally are not counted as student income under current federal aid rules. The impact can vary by school and aid formula, so it's worth considering alongside your specific financial aid strategy rather than assuming no effect at all.
529 funds have more flexibility than many people realize. You can change the beneficiary to another eligible family member without tax consequences, keep the funds for future use such as graduate school, or withdraw them for other purposes, though the earnings portion of a nonqualified withdrawal is subject to income tax and a 10% penalty. A limited lifetime amount of unused funds may also be eligible for a rollover into the beneficiary's Roth IRA, subject to a lifetime cap, an account-age requirement, and other eligibility rules.

Give Your Kids More Options Without Giving Up Your Own

Schedule an introductory call to see how college funding can fit alongside retirement and the rest of your goals.

Schedule a Call

Flat-fee plans from $4,000 per year. No commissions. No asset minimum. Serving clients nationwide by video.