So how does a two-Fed family that gets fired send a kid to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a fed, but:

We have always lived a frugal lifestyle. My husband was laid off multiple times in a volatile tech sector. There were times when we were living very near the bone. It was impossible to save for college during those years. We're lucky our circumstances changed in time. Our oldest is a college sophomore now.

Don't start on "you should have saved" or "you were living it up". Most families are actually responsible and do their best. Most feds don't earn a whole lot.

+1. These people who need a pat on the back from the internet for their lifestyle are just sad.

It doesn't matter what the internet thinks. It's your kids who are affected. Community college and the military are always a good option though (seriously- no sarcasm intended!). Some people who have the means don't save because they don't think college is important. Where you put your money is where your values are.

And far more people save what they can, but tuition has outpaced inflation for 40 years and job losses make it that much harder to afford something that is much more expensive in real terms than it used to be.

People who are genuine recognize this. People who go on and on about living relative to means and values without any knowledge that any of those things are the issue…well, there’s a lot of terms for those types of people, none of them positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Community college like everyone else who can’t afford college.

+1 I would not take out loans. That's crazy. Not even sure you can if you don't have a job. Lenders want to see income.

Go the CC route. If you get a job within the year, your kid can always transfer.

It sucks. But, this happens to families all over the country. I come from a lower income background, and my brother went the GI bill route to help pay for college. He went to a CC then transferred to a well known public ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a fed, but:

We have always lived a frugal lifestyle. My husband was laid off multiple times in a volatile tech sector. There were times when we were living very near the bone. It was impossible to save for college during those years. We're lucky our circumstances changed in time. Our oldest is a college sophomore now.

Don't start on "you should have saved" or "you were living it up". Most families are actually responsible and do their best. Most feds don't earn a whole lot.

+1. These people who need a pat on the back from the internet for their lifestyle are just sad.

It doesn't matter what the internet thinks. It's your kids who are affected. Community college and the military are always a good option though (seriously- no sarcasm intended!). Some people who have the means don't save because they don't think college is important. Where you put your money is where your values are.

And far more people save what they can, but tuition has outpaced inflation for 40 years and job losses make it that much harder to afford something that is much more expensive in real terms than it used to be.

People who are genuine recognize this. People who go on and on about living relative to means and values without any knowledge that any of those things are the issue…well, there’s a lot of terms for those types of people, none of them positive.

Like I said, community college and the military are still good options. If you have nothing saved (for whatever reason), kids can still get an education. People who save have more choices. That's the reality. This thread is about a two Fed household- high earners by any measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well you should have been saving their whole life. If you can't afford it for whatever reason, then the kid can pay their way through community college. Not everyone is guaranteed college.

Why have Americans become so cold? This is a person who is in a household with two adults in what felt like stable jobs, and they planned like most of us do - that they will have jobs. They're facing loss of BOTH jobs in a household. It's incredibly stressful. Where is the kindness? You could have said the same advice with empathy. And you chose not to.

[Anonymous]

Private loan. Saddle them with debt like the good lord intended. Of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you intend to pay from your current salaries for tuition or do you have money saved? colleges aren’t going to give you $$$ if you have plenty of cash a 529.

That’s not true, most give generous aid regardless of 529 money when incomes are suddenly changed or low to begin with. The 529 is an asset of the parent, not the child.

Personal experience I’ve seen colleges give full or 75% merit rides to kids with 529….the 529 covers things the scholarships don’t

And it's an asset universities expect you to utilize for college. That's literally the entire purpose of a 529. If you have $200K in a 529, they will rightly expect you to spend it on college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you should have been saving their whole life. If you can't afford it for whatever reason, then the kid can pay their way through community college. Not everyone is guaranteed college.

Get a life. It’s not so easy for everyone to save up hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t know what other expenses they’ve had, how long they’ve been feds, or anything else about them. Save your unhelpful moralizing.

Most dual feds make 200-400k, more than many others. Some of it is lifestyle choices.

NP. The people here wagging their fingers at feds need to grow up. Do you not have any concept that there can be expenses like medical issues, chronic conditions, caregiving or care facilities for older relatives, and myriad other expenses YOU don't know about from your perch on your high horse? Just citing what you think "most" dual fed couples make is not helpful. You don't know where they have to live for their jobs and how expensive that area might be, either, even if they're frugal . Just stop the empathy-free blather about what feds "should have been saving" etc. People have lives and expenses beyond just stuffing 529s with an ideal amount of cash. Damn, the total lack of thinking or empathy here is sickening. (And no, I'm not a fed or married to one, I just get sick of parent-bashing whenever someone comes on this forum worried about paying for college.)

Get a grip. Two fed households are in the top 10% of earners. I'm not buying that people can't put away 3-5K a year on those salaries. Why not go the other way and ask what kind of cars they are driving, how many vacations they take, how many travel sports they participate in, etc.? The truth is, most people do not prioritize college expenses. That's perfectly OK, but not one I would choose for my children (and we make much less than two feds).

I hope when you are low, some sanctimonious opinionated person doesn't go out of their way to make you feel worse. I hope you experience kindness, so that you can learn to speak with kindness. Whatever these folks were making, they are facing going down to ZERO. They might have prioritized saving for state schools and figure they'll cash flow some of it too. That would be perfectly rational. But you're acting like you know the reason is lifestyle choices. I doubt you're open to feedback, people who respond like you rarely are, but it'd be so good for you to take in that kindness costs you nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you should have been saving their whole life. If you can't afford it for whatever reason, then the kid can pay their way through community college. Not everyone is guaranteed college.

Why have Americans become so cold? This is a person who is in a household with two adults in what felt like stable jobs, and they planned like most of us do - that they will have jobs. They're facing loss of BOTH jobs in a household. It's incredibly stressful. Where is the kindness? You could have said the same advice with empathy. And you chose not to.

Because America now has a permanent "loser class". JD Vance highlighted them very well in Hillbilly Elegy.

They are lazy, unreliable employees that figure out a way to scam the welfare system, with many now on fake disability.

They think it's Feds or immigrants or the guy behind the tree that's keeping them down...when the reality is that even if they were the only warm body available for a job, the person hiring would still not hire them.

Hence, why the industries that are losing immigrants aren't talking about hiring Americans....they are talking about automating their operations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a fed, but:

We have always lived a frugal lifestyle. My husband was laid off multiple times in a volatile tech sector. There were times when we were living very near the bone. It was impossible to save for college during those years. We're lucky our circumstances changed in time. Our oldest is a college sophomore now.

Don't start on "you should have saved" or "you were living it up". Most families are actually responsible and do their best. Most feds don't earn a whole lot.

+1. These people who need a pat on the back from the internet for their lifestyle are just sad.

It doesn't matter what the internet thinks. It's your kids who are affected. Community college and the military are always a good option though (seriously- no sarcasm intended!). Some people who have the means don't save because they don't think college is important. Where you put your money is where your values are.

And far more people save what they can, but tuition has outpaced inflation for 40 years and job losses make it that much harder to afford something that is much more expensive in real terms than it used to be.

People who are genuine recognize this. People who go on and on about living relative to means and values without any knowledge that any of those things are the issue…well, there’s a lot of terms for those types of people, none of them positive.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a fed, but:

We have always lived a frugal lifestyle. My husband was laid off multiple times in a volatile tech sector. There were times when we were living very near the bone. It was impossible to save for college during those years. We're lucky our circumstances changed in time. Our oldest is a college sophomore now.

Don't start on "you should have saved" or "you were living it up". Most families are actually responsible and do their best. Most feds don't earn a whole lot.

+1. These people who need a pat on the back from the internet for their lifestyle are just sad.

It doesn't matter what the internet thinks. It's your kids who are affected. Community college and the military are always a good option though (seriously- no sarcasm intended!). Some people who have the means don't save because they don't think college is important. Where you put your money is where your values are.

And far more people save what they can, but tuition has outpaced inflation for 40 years and job losses make it that much harder to afford something that is much more expensive in real terms than it used to be.

People who are genuine recognize this. People who go on and on about living relative to means and values without any knowledge that any of those things are the issue…well, there’s a lot of terms for those types of people, none of them positive.

Well said.

This. One of us is a Fed. We prioritized savings but set our levels to what we expected the tuition to be. However the growth has far outstripped what we planned to put aside (even after choosing aggressive options in our 529 plan). We were fortunate that we could add more over the years but I can clearly see why other families may not be able to.

[Anonymous]

Trump has been so destructive to America in just one week. Many federal workers voted for him and his party, and many didn't. But all will suffer economically.

He is selling off all our sensitive data and information (taking over CIA) for money.

He announced US will "own" Gaza and post Americans there?? What happened to not meddling in international affairs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you should have been saving their whole life. If you can't afford it for whatever reason, then the kid can pay their way through community college. Not everyone is guaranteed college.

Get a life. It’s not so easy for everyone to save up hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t know what other expenses they’ve had, how long they’ve been feds, or anything else about them. Save your unhelpful moralizing.

Most dual feds make 200-400k, more than many others. Some of it is lifestyle choices.

NP. The people here wagging their fingers at feds need to grow up. Do you not have any concept that there can be expenses like medical issues, chronic conditions, caregiving or care facilities for older relatives, and myriad other expenses YOU don't know about from your perch on your high horse? Just citing what you think "most" dual fed couples make is not helpful. You don't know where they have to live for their jobs and how expensive that area might be, either, even if they're frugal . Just stop the empathy-free blather about what feds "should have been saving" etc. People have lives and expenses beyond just stuffing 529s with an ideal amount of cash. Damn, the total lack of thinking or empathy here is sickening. (And no, I'm not a fed or married to one, I just get sick of parent-bashing whenever someone comes on this forum worried about paying for college.)

Get a grip. Two fed households are in the top 10% of earners. I'm not buying that people can't put away 3-5K a year on those salaries. Why not go the other way and ask what kind of cars they are driving, how many vacations they take, how many travel sports they participate in, etc.? The truth is, most people do not prioritize college expenses. That's perfectly OK, but not one I would choose for my children (and we make much less than two feds).

I hope when you are low, some sanctimonious opinionated person doesn't go out of their way to make you feel worse. I hope you experience kindness, so that you can learn to speak with kindness. Whatever these folks were making, they are facing going down to ZERO. They might have prioritized saving for state schools and figure they'll cash flow some of it too. That would be perfectly rational. But you're acting like you know the reason is lifestyle choices. I doubt you're open to feedback, people who respond like you rarely are, but it'd be so good for you to take in that kindness costs you nothing.

It has nothing to do with sanctimony. The OP was entirely hypothetical. I think CC/military/gap years are perfectly valid and wise options.

[Anonymous]

Kid takes a gap year while parents regroup. Not the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you should have been saving their whole life. If you can't afford it for whatever reason, then the kid can pay their way through community college. Not everyone is guaranteed college.

Get a life. It’s not so easy for everyone to save up hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t know what other expenses they’ve had, how long they’ve been feds, or anything else about them. Save your unhelpful moralizing.

Most dual feds make 200-400k, more than many others. Some of it is lifestyle choices.

NP. The people here wagging their fingers at feds need to grow up. Do you not have any concept that there can be expenses like medical issues, chronic conditions, caregiving or care facilities for older relatives, and myriad other expenses YOU don't know about from your perch on your high horse? Just citing what you think "most" dual fed couples make is not helpful. You don't know where they have to live for their jobs and how expensive that area might be, either, even if they're frugal . Just stop the empathy-free blather about what feds "should have been saving" etc. People have lives and expenses beyond just stuffing 529s with an ideal amount of cash. Damn, the total lack of thinking or empathy here is sickening. (And no, I'm not a fed or married to one, I just get sick of parent-bashing whenever someone comes on this forum worried about paying for college.)

Get a grip. Two fed households are in the top 10% of earners. I'm not buying that people can't put away 3-5K a year on those salaries. Why not go the other way and ask what kind of cars they are driving, how many vacations they take, how many travel sports they participate in, etc.? The truth is, most people do not prioritize college expenses. That's perfectly OK, but not one I would choose for my children (and we make much less than two feds).

I hope when you are low, some sanctimonious opinionated person doesn't go out of their way to make you feel worse. I hope you experience kindness, so that you can learn to speak with kindness. Whatever these folks were making, they are facing going down to ZERO. They might have prioritized saving for state schools and figure they'll cash flow some of it too. That would be perfectly rational. But you're acting like you know the reason is lifestyle choices. I doubt you're open to feedback, people who respond like you rarely are, but it'd be so good for you to take in that kindness costs you nothing.

It has nothing to do with sanctimony. The OP was entirely hypothetical. I think CC/military/gap years are perfectly valid and wise options.

Of course those are perfectly valid, and even helpful suggestions. No problem with that. Problem was with the judgy crap about lifestyle choices. The point is that the poster could have made those same valid suggestions without assumptions that they're driving fancy cars and taking vacations and that the OP didn't prioritize saving.

[Anonymous]

I'm really sorry if anyone loses their job due to this stupid administration.

But also, didn't most feds make a decision, at some point in their careers, to choose a predictable schedule and lower stress over a high salary?

That choice comes with consequences for things like college choice.