Parents know they should be saving for college, but figuring out the right amount is tough, especially if you don't work with a financial adviser.
But Fidelity just came out with a chart estimating college costs for families of various incomes, plus a gut-punching chart to show you how much you should be trying to save to meet that cost:
For the footnotes and additional info, head to Fidelity.
There's no guidance for families making above or below these incomes, families with multiple children, or families that don't start saving until well after Junior is out of diapers.
That's where college savings calculators from the College Board and Savingforcollege.com would come in handy.
I am saving $50 a month toward college. For THREE KIDS. A bit off the mark, according to this chart. Which I knew! But after I sock 10 percent away in my 401(k), Mr. Kablog contributes to his 457, we max out our Roths, work towards that 6 months of emergency savings and sock away $600 a month so we can buy our next car free and clear, there's little left.
But I recently looked at my 529 balance and was surprised to see that it's grown to nearly $3,000, a testament to the power of consistently saving small sums.
And by keeping debts low, sticking with a 15 year mortgage on our starter home and saving a lot for retirement now, my hope is that we can help cash flow college with our income and Roths if necessary.
