I had a reunion with my three closest college friends last weekend, all of whom have kids who will be starting junior high school soon. When the conversations drifted towards paying for college, choosing future high schools, and assessing their kids’ academic strengths and weaknesses, my advice to them is the same I would give any parent:
1. Save as much as you can in a 529 plan. Cash on hand is the best strategy to pay for college.
2. For everything else, don’t worry so much. Raise happy and healthy kids (which they’re doing). Don’t expect that they’ll be good at everything (human beings aren’t built that way). And trust that with over 2,000 colleges to pick from, there will be plenty of options for places where they can go, grow and have fun.
Take college planning seriously. But remember that as long as you have healthy and happy kids, it’s all going to be OK.