<p>A course in personal financial planning and realities should be a requirement for every kid graduating from college. If the college doesn’t require it (very few do), the parents should. The reality is that unless you are very wealthy, the college saving needs to begin at birth (or before, if you’re really a good planner!). Even then, it was $15k/yr by the time our second kid was born close to 20 years ago. That is a sacrifice for most people, but it just gets worse the longer you wait.</p>