Herm4--As I said, you are perfectly welcome to disagree with me, but..."Just" a technical school? Wow. Sounds like there is a little bit of a bias there. I know people making $100,000, $200,000 or more a year who went to "just" a technical school. Plumbers, architects, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, graphic designers, people who build computers, and create software. And I know people who spent $80,000 to $100,000 on their art history degree at some fancy school who volunteer at a museum and make their living waiting tables because their fancy degree didn't relate to the real world, or teachers pulling in less than $30,000 for doing pretty much the most important job there is.
Technical colleges have come a long, long way and I hope you won't overlook them if the field your child wants to go in would be better served at a technical college. Limiting your child can go both ways if you insist on a only a university. Try not to dismiss it out of hand. And as I said about the A.A., you start at the CC, get the A.A. there, then transfer to a state university to finish.
As for disagreeing with almost everything I said, does that then mean you would jeopardize your retirement and your emergency fund to pay for your child's education? Or is that the almost part?
You are to be commended for teaching your children about money from an early age. So did my parents. Of me and my sisters I'm the only one it took with. Just cause it was taught, doesn't always mean the children learn it, unfortunately. And it also doesn't mean they won't take certain things for granted.
My own kids have been taught exactly the same way and already at 11 and 7 I can see that one will throw away her money on whatever if I let her and the other will hoard and save his to the point of being a miser if I let him. Doesn't stop me from trying though. We have to keep at it and hope it sinks in.
Regardless, I am enjoying the debate and hope I don't engender any ill feelings. I do understand your point of view even if I don't agree with it.