Bert Whitehead: Affordable College: Don’t Pay Retail!

College is becoming a bigger and bigger issue for many families, in his blog, Bert Whitehead shares some ideas for addressing the rising cost of college. 

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Is college now only for the wealthy? The College Board announced that tuition and fees increased over 14% for public universities and 6% for private colleges in 2009. The posted prices for higher education have more than doubled over the last decade, a rate averaging over 7% a year, which far outpaces the general rate of inflation for that time period. Have we reached the point that only the wealthy can afford to send their children to college?

The New York Times reports that families earning $100,000 a year would have to save about $1,000 a month for 18 years in a 529 plan to send 2 children to a public college such as the University of Michigan ($51,000/year/per child for four years). That’s more than the parents are likely to be saving for their own retirement! Looking at the numbers can be disheartening, but the information I have outlined below for you will show how college can be within the reach of average American families……

Read the complete article here …. Bert Whitehead: Affordable College: Don’t Pay Retail!.