What Does Your 529 Plan Look Like?

How much are you planning to hold in a 529 plan for your kids’ higher education? I have mine saved/grown up $200K so far and have about 10 years to go before I start dipping into it with two kids. Wondering if it is enough to stop contributing.

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$200K for two kids may not be enough . again depends on how much you are planning to cover and which schools they choose. Have you tried Vangaurd 529 calculator - Vanguard college savings planner

$200K for two kids is really good! Your kids may end up at UCs and you won’t even need it all. They may also not go to college…

What’s the penalties for not using it?

For our kids we have too little for kid #1 ($45K and he’s a senior this year with plans for a 5 year BS/Master’s, but we were prioritizing buying a house)
$150K for kid number 2 but he may not even go to college
$45K for kid #3 (6th grade)

Likely we’ll put more into kid #3 in case #2 goes to go to college, otherwise she’ll get the money for #2.

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What is the advantage of 529 plan vs Invest in Bay area RE & HELOC from equity gains (IFF needed) vs Backdoor Roth draw for education?

Well $200K will grow over time, right? My 529 plan has grown at an annual rate of 11.5% over the past 8 years. No guarantees for the future, but at this rate, it’ll be close to $600K. Of course, college will more expensive too by then.

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I’ve maxed out all other tax advantaged stuff but don’t want to put too much into 529 plan either. Wondering how much is too much :slight_smile:

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I think as with any other investment strategy, the goal is to diversify. You shouldn’t over-invest in 401K, IRA, Roth 401K/IRA, 529, HSA etc. It’s a good problem to have that I am able to max them all out.

I do not have a 529. I chose to invest in RE and megabackdoor roth and normal roth. With roth you can use the funds for your own non-educational needs which the 529 does not allow.

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