I got two kids that will be going to college in about 5 years. My wife and I haves saved as best we could all their lives but it’s still a bill ranging from 250k to maybe a half million dollars coming due on top of all the other bills and retirement savings. For many, “burnout” is just not an option.
As another parent, that sounds like a frightening financial burden :( So, $125k-$250k for each child? Is that the going rate in USA now? for comparison , here in UK its gone up lots but 3 years at university would cost approx £30k in tuition, plus maybe £40k in living costs that could be largely avoided by staying at home and going to college locally. Which can be mostly borrowed, and paid back as an extra 9% in tax on earning above a certain amount after graduation. Even with these figures, my wife and I will still encourage our kids to look hard for decent apprenticeships, consider Open University, possibly work part-time and study part-time, to avoid having such a big debt, especially given cost of housing etc. Kinda wonder whether your figures make it worth going to college at all? 20 years ago I met an American who had 6 figure debt from law school and was doing a job at a law firm that she disliked in order to pay off the huge loan so that after that she could then do what she wanted which would pay much less....
Yeah, if I had kids I'd go back to france for studying costs:
175 euros per bachelor year;
250 euros per Master year;
618 euros per (public) engineering school year* ;
391 euros per Doctorate year...
Cost of life depends on the city but you can get financial help with it if parents are low income, so there is no reason to burn out to pay for tuition there... it has other downsides mind you but education is still solid in 24-25.
Not to be rude, but one divorce could wipe out all that you had saved. Then burnout might be a better option for your kids when it comes time to filling out FAFSA.
I'm knocking on wood. I don't want what happened to me to happen to you.
