<p>Hello. Thanks for reading this post. I will try to be as brief as possible with the "back story" that has led to my dilemma.</p>
<p>In our divorce agreement, my children's father agreed (after much wrangling) that we would each contribute a certain (not unsubstantial) monetary amount to a college fund for our 2 daughters. We agreed to put this money into the fund when a specific joint investment gave us its first pay-out. When the pay-out actually occurred, he was supposedly low on funds, so I allowed him to hold off putting in the $ for a while; he wrote a letter stating that when he put in the $, he would additionally match the earnings that my contribution had made. About 1 1/2 year ago, he told me that he had the money and had deposited it to the account. I found out, one month ago, that he had never put the money in. His initial reaction upon being confronted: fury and blustering; when I stopped all contact w/ him and he heard that I would be taking him to court, he began trying to negotiate. I have decided that I will take him to court if he does not put the full amount, along w/ interest earned, into the account.</p>
<p>A bit more information: I decided to let him "win" in the money part of the divorce agreement, in order to protect the children and myself from endless battle. I figured out what I would need to support my children for their dependent years, added my living expenses, and figured out what percentage of our joint assets this would equal. This amount was quite a bit less than 50% of our assets, and he agreed to this deal. I have never regretted it, because I think that it saved me much grief, and saved my children many repercussions. I am giving this information to explain that, from that point on (10 years ago), he has not been responsible for anything financially for our children; he will continue to not be held responsible legally for any $ to our kids, including any costs for college (except for the one-time deposit agreed upon for the college fund).</p>
<p>My daughter will be attending a LAC in the Fall. It is a school that is identified as having one of the highest tuitions of all American colleges. She will get no financial aid at all, and I accept that as fair; I will be able to carry the costs, if I'm very careful.</p>
<p>So..............such a long back story. And here, finally, is my QUESTION: In order to prepare myself for this legal battle, I am trying to figure out the true amount that I can expect to spend, yearly, on my daughter's college education........beyond tuition, room and board, etc. (Also, a clear sense of the percentage that tuition rises yearly). I've heard that the additional, "hidden", costs are quite high. I've Googled a bit, but so far have seen only vague predictions. So, I was hoping to get responses from parents of children who go to colleges with a similar high tuition. If you could relay what, and how much, the additional costs were/are, I'd be tremendously appreciative. </p>
<p>Please........I really don't need any admonitions about my choices; I feel that my original financial decision was the best one that I could make in the horrible situation that I found myself in. Although I now feel shock and a dawning bitterness at the realization, yet again, that I can not trust this man at all, I also feel blessed that I CAN provide my kids with an excellent education.</p>
<p>Thanks for any and all constructive feedback.</p>