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How much money do you give your kids per year in 529, UTMA, brokerage, etc.?
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Date: October 20th, 2025 12:12 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor I just gave each kid $20k split between their 529 and UTMA account, and it doesn't feel like much in terms of paying for college, setting them up for a downpayment on a house, starting retirement savings, etc. The kids are all under 10 years old, so there is time for it to grow. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361671) |
Date: October 20th, 2025 12:21 PM Author: clear potus lay $12k/year each in 529 (along with periodic gifts received from grandparents); we also have a “children’s account” for things like down payment help (tbh that’s cash from my in-laws that they gave us and wouldn’t take back, so we earmarked it for use for kids). I have $1k/mo auto-debited into their 529 accounts so I never see it.
This is looking to have us in good shape for college. I’m prepared to get fucked either way as we’re not rich-rich but certainly don’t qualify for any aid. |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 12:24 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor How much do you put into the non-529 accounts per year?
$12k/year for the 529s is good and should be sufficient for state school. But 4 years of private school will likely cost more. I'm in the same boat as you of being too rich to qualify for any sort of aid, not rich enouch to easily afford $1M+ for college for several kids combined. It's tough to get ahead. |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 12:36 PM Author: clear potus lay With good markets we’re looking fine for private. Have been putting in $1k/mo since roughly birth. Will likely need to come a bit out of pocket but at least not $100k/yr or whatever it will cost then. And it’s so hard to know if you’ll be paying full freight at Cornell or they’ll get a meaningful scholarship to GW or whatever or they’ll want to go in-state. Ideally don’t want 6 figures in the 529 at the end of things and not excited about giving it to my nephews/nieces.
We don’t have any brokerage accounts for the kids other than the “children’s account” which has a few hundred K in it. We don’t fund that regularly; it was cash that my in-laws sent to us one time that we refused but they also wouldn’t take back. |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 12:51 PM Author: Heady Mauve State Friendly Grandma Extra funds can just roll into a Roth IRA now and withdraw as contributions tax free (eg for down payment). Seems like 529 is way more useful as a result. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361734) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 1:33 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor titcr. overfunding a 529 if you are able is smart. Your kids can use the excess for grad school, a downpayment, or having a potentially huge head start on retirement. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361862) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 2:23 PM Author: hideous jet-lagged stock car when you give kids money through a 529 you are really just giving it to some leftist that works at a college. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361999) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 12:58 PM Author: Curious dull newt heaven A grand a month as soon as they're born. Parents will randomly kick in 5K every few years. Seems like it should be enough. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361754) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 1:34 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor A grand a month into a 529? That's a good start, but not sufficient for setting up your kid for, e.g., being in his/her 20s with zero debt, a down payment ready to go, and a good start on a retirement account. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361865) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 2:21 PM Author: Heady Mauve State Friendly Grandma lol what is your target amount to have saved by the time they graduate high school? For at least one of my kids I’m going to push pretty hard for them to not go straight through and work first in some capacity that he cares about (ie not just a Starbucks barista or waiting tables, but could be something like a food truck if he really gives a shit about it). By high school grad I’m going to be happy with 300k per kid and keep contributing until graduation. Seems like 1k per month is plenty even budgeting 100k per year total cost of attendance. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49361994) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:19 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor $400k/kid in 2025 dollars in 529 by the time each graduates HS plus another $250k/kid in 2025 dollars in each of their UTMA accounts by the time I retire. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362292) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 2:25 PM Author: copper background story does anyone care about college anymore? i know it was a joke 10 years ago but now, come on. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362003) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:22 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor Despite the fact that the jig is up on college, so to speak, it still seems like the cr option for an intelligent 18 y.o. who will be able to go to a good school and graduate debt free. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362297) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:26 PM Author: copper background story why? what would the kid do? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362305) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:34 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor Get a job that pays 6 figures, get an interesting job, start a business, some combination of the above. All of those still benefit from having gone to college.
What should they do if they don't go to college? |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:35 PM Author: copper background story why go to college if youre gonna make them start a business? and what six-figure job out of college? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362325) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:40 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor I'm not going to make them do anything. That's part of the point. Funding a 529 and brokerage for each kid gives them a lot of freedom.
Going to college is still a net positive for starting a business in most fields.
Plenty of 6 figure jobs out of college. E.g., "The median annual salary for early career Stanford grads is $116,983." https://www.forbes.com/pictures/64e6548efca1915817d8ae1f/4-stanford-university/ |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:22 PM Author: henna violent base I'd rather just buy a couple houses/apts myself and let them live in them when the time comes. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362296) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:25 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor Why "let them live in them"? Your kids should have their own houses, not be living in a house their dad owns when they're 40.
I'm trying to set up my kids to have good careers, to be able to afford down payments, to get ahead start on retirement savings, and to live their own lives. |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:29 PM Author: copper background story if they dont want to live in the house he owns they can rent an apartment for a year before they want to live in the house he owns. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362311) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:35 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor But why play that game with your kids? Just help them out with the down payment, help them on the path to getting a job that lets them pay the monthly mortgage, and enjoy that they're living their lives. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362324) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:36 PM Author: copper background story you need to get your hands on real estate while you can. see e.g. five years ago when interest rates were 2.x%. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362328) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:37 PM Author: henna violent base Why pay rent to some stranger or pay interest to some bank? That's powergoy shit. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362330) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:42 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor If that's the concern, just help them buy the house instead of "letting" your middle aged son and his family live in "your" house. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362353) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:29 PM Author: Translucent painfully honest cruise ship doctorate I haven’t put anything in my Kids’ 529s all year, they’re still up over $20k though. Lol. At this point is way easier to just do nothing and watch the markets carry you to wealth as opposed to working some job. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362310) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:33 PM Author: Translucent painfully honest cruise ship doctorate My parents gave me next to nothing after I graduated high school. I remember I borrowed $1500 the summer I turned 23 to pay bills. They also bought me a $3700 car when I was 20. Place to stay over the summer for 2 summers during college. That was it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362320) |
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Date: October 20th, 2025 4:36 PM Author: Swashbuckling fortuitous meteor No firm handshake? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49362326) |
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Date: January 17th, 2026 4:55 PM Author: zesty 529 seems worthless imo
esp w inflated college prices and its actual use/vale being very questionable at this point |
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Date: January 17th, 2026 5:14 PM Author: Die Hard 2: Die Harder If your kid is in the position that he/she has to go to college to be important then you already lost. Best is to save that $650,000 cost in 2040 and put it towards him/her starting a business that makes money immediately. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788012&forum_id=2#49597158) |