How much did you give to your school's annual fund this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you givine $1000 to $5000.
Are you exceptionally wealthy? What I mean is are you also putting the same amount, or double that, into your childs 529 account? Or are you already overinvested in that?

It would seem strange to give that much as a charitable donation to school, and not be able to do the same to retirement or 529 accounts.

PP who gave 5500 to AF here. For us, we already have the $$ for all kids' education.

[Anonymous]

In the past we have given 1K to each of two schools. Now both kids are at the same school, so we will probably bump it up some...though maybe not double.

[Anonymous]

We give $1500 for one child, and will probably double that when we have a second child there next year. We just feel that the annual contribution is part of the cost of private school. We do not make so much that private school tuition is easy to cover. However, if we were struggling so much that we could barely pay tuition, then we would re-think private school altogether (and might once the second one is in the school). We max out our 401K contributions and there is already a 529 in place. We don't travel much or take many vacations, but school is a priority.

[Anonymous]

We are going to start small, around $1,000. When we have two kids there, we will increase. And we fully fund their 529's every year.

[Anonymous]

How have your kids 529 accounts fared with the stock market decline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How have your kids 529 accounts fared with the stock market decline?

down twenty percent as of last Friday. I assume it's about five percent more this week. But my children don't go to college for at least 16 years....

[Anonymous]

I think one of the PPs is confusing charitable giving with family planning, unless maybe I am the one who is off. I give to my kids' schools and my own college because I believe in them. Some years I dig really hard to do it, especially if there is something special the school is doing like a building campaign. I actually have three instutitions competing for my time and dollars - one kid in a preschool, one kid in a K-8 school, and my college, which I feel very strongly about supporting. I don't give the same amount every year; it varies depending on lots of things - budget, income, other expenses, whether there is a special drive going on, etc. But I would never even think of using money I put otherwise put in a 529 plan, or the wedding fund (girl), or any other parental or family obligation for what is a charitable donation. Maybe the schools don't want me to look at it that way, but I give to them from my charitable giving basket, and I donate substantial time to all three instutitions, too. I don't consider it an obligation, but rather something I want to do. Am I looking at this the wrong way?