I can’t afford this, right?

[Anonymous]

Of course you can!

[Anonymous]

Don’t waste your money on private school.
Beef up 529s, your kids will need it more.

[Anonymous]

OP,

It's fascinating you're getting these answers that are pro-public. If you had posted in Private and Independent Schools, which is usually where posters who are on the fence ask these questions... you would probably have been encourageed to place your children in private schools. This is logical, since that board is mostly populated by families who made that choice.

Unless you're a very socially savvy person who is seeking to connect with others of your own social standing, and perhaps down the road get valuable internships for your children with your newly made friends at these privates... private is not worth it.

I put one kid with SN and one highly gifted kid in MCPS and they both did well. I did move to the Bethesda area, to ensure I got the best MCPS schools. But I stuck with public nevertheless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

It's fascinating you're getting these answers that are pro-public. If you had posted in Private and Independent Schools, which is usually where posters who are on the fence ask these questions... you would probably have been encourageed to place your children in private schools. This is logical, since that board is mostly populated by families who made that choice.

Unless you're a very socially savvy person who is seeking to connect with others of your own social standing, and perhaps down the road get valuable internships for your children with your newly made friends at these privates... private is not worth it.

I put one kid with SN and one highly gifted kid in MCPS and they both did well. I did move to the Bethesda area, to ensure I got the best MCPS schools. But I stuck with public nevertheless.

I mean that’s because it is clearly a terrible financial choice to spend half your income on something you can get for free, for which there is a good argument may even be better in the free version.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With an AHI of 550k with all of that money saved for college and retirement, you can afford private school tuition of 180k per year for all of your kids. You can add, and figure this out, pretty easily.

If you have other reservations, that are not financial, which you certainly could, that's another thing altogether, and could contribute to it being "insane" for your family. But you didn't ask about that.

It's 180k after taxes. So it's really 240. It's close to half OP's income, and ultimately will cost millions. It's an insane amount of money when you're living in a good public school district.

When your AHI is 550k, and you have that much in retirement and college savings accounts, you can spend "close to half" of it on tuition for your kids pretty easily. And it won't be tuition for all three of them for four years in a row, it will be staggered, assuming the kids aren't triplets, which they aren't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With an AHI of 550k with all of that money saved for college and retirement, you can afford private school tuition of 180k per year for all of your kids. You can add, and figure this out, pretty easily.

If you have other reservations, that are not financial, which you certainly could, that's another thing altogether, and could contribute to it being "insane" for your family. But you didn't ask about that.

This is spot on

No I am sorry. Paying half you income for private just because you think your kids are too good for public is a stupid stupid thing to do.

Nowhere in the original post is anything even remotely like this apparent.

This says more about you than about OP's post about affording private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With an AHI of 550k with all of that money saved for college and retirement, you can afford private school tuition of 180k per year for all of your kids. You can add, and figure this out, pretty easily.

If you have other reservations, that are not financial, which you certainly could, that's another thing altogether, and could contribute to it being "insane" for your family. But you didn't ask about that.

It's 180k after taxes. So it's really 240. It's close to half OP's income, and ultimately will cost millions. It's an insane amount of money when you're living in a good public school district.

When your AHI is 550k, and you have that much in retirement and college savings accounts, you can spend "close to half" of it on tuition for your kids pretty easily. And it won't be tuition for all three of them for four years in a row, it will be staggered, assuming the kids aren't triplets, which they aren't.

I mean that still means stopping retirement and college savings as well as all the extras that makes working hard worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

Ignore most of these posts, OP.

You have got a very bitter contingency of people who can't afford private school here desperately feeling the need to label it as "stupid." It isn't, there are many reasons to send kids to private if you can afford it. Which you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With an AHI of 550k with all of that money saved for college and retirement, you can afford private school tuition of 180k per year for all of your kids. You can add, and figure this out, pretty easily.

If you have other reservations, that are not financial, which you certainly could, that's another thing altogether, and could contribute to it being "insane" for your family. But you didn't ask about that.

It's 180k after taxes. So it's really 240. It's close to half OP's income, and ultimately will cost millions. It's an insane amount of money when you're living in a good public school district.

When your AHI is 550k, and you have that much in retirement and college savings accounts, you can spend "close to half" of it on tuition for your kids pretty easily. And it won't be tuition for all three of them for four years in a row, it will be staggered, assuming the kids aren't triplets, which they aren't.

I mean that still means stopping retirement and college savings as well as all the extras that makes working hard worthwhile.

Are you OP?

Then ... ok? If it means "stopping ... all the extras that make working hard worthwhile," then don't do it? Why are you asking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t waste your money on private school.
Beef up 529s, your kids will need it more.

I agree with this, especially in mcps unless you are in a bad school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignore most of these posts, OP.

You have got a very bitter contingency of people who can't afford private school here desperately feeling the need to label it as "stupid." It isn't, there are many reasons to send kids to private if you can afford it. Which you can.

We could afford private …

[Anonymous]

Human attention is the most precious thing to pay for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With an AHI of 550k with all of that money saved for college and retirement, you can afford private school tuition of 180k per year for all of your kids. You can add, and figure this out, pretty easily.

If you have other reservations, that are not financial, which you certainly could, that's another thing altogether, and could contribute to it being "insane" for your family. But you didn't ask about that.

It's 180k after taxes. So it's really 240. It's close to half OP's income, and ultimately will cost millions. It's an insane amount of money when you're living in a good public school district.

This. And the tuition will increase each year, so no you can’t afford it unless you drastically change your lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With an AHI of 550k with all of that money saved for college and retirement, you can afford private school tuition of 180k per year for all of your kids. You can add, and figure this out, pretty easily.

If you have other reservations, that are not financial, which you certainly could, that's another thing altogether, and could contribute to it being "insane" for your family. But you didn't ask about that.

It's 180k after taxes. So it's really 240. It's close to half OP's income, and ultimately will cost millions. It's an insane amount of money when you're living in a good public school district.

This. And the tuition will increase each year, so no you can’t afford it unless you drastically change your lifestyle.

Instead of speaking that much on tuition, OP could
… retire 5 years earlier than planned
… or one parent could quit working now entirely
… or invest it for a down payment for each kid

It’s just far too much money pay for education that you can get free. There are many very smart kids in public schools. Every year public schools around here admit reams of kids to Ivys, UVA, UMD, great smaller colleges …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Human attention is the most precious thing to pay for.

OP could just quit his job and pay a lot of attention to his kids then!