<p>Yay!!! Internet connection is back, and look!! Company!! And company with experience, at that!! Yay!!</p>
<p>2blue, always happy to cater a CC thread, I am. :) Might want to drag H in on the catering, at least behind the scenes. He just made a killer mint pesto; the house smells GREAT!</p>
<p>I'm not maxing out retirement plan contributions; I can't afford to, alas. I am putting enough in my 401K to get the company match, and a little more, too, into a Roth 401K, but that's it. I also deposit regularly to a 529 (parent-held) and to a mutual fund. I will likely move the mutual fund to a Roth IRA; I can use that for college expenses if necessary. I have some savings bonds tucked away, too, for college or emergencies, whichever comes first.</p>
<p>carolyn, thanks! H has no income to speak of, so no worries there. ExH and I are on good terms; however, exH is clueless about college financial matters and doesn't listen to me. I'll try, of course, but I have little to no expectation that he'll do anything different. S knows that I'll do everything I can, and also knows that what I can do alone might be limited due to finances. If his dad ponies up money for college, great, but I plan with the assumption that, with the exception of the 529 the child support goes into (which is under exH's control), no other funds will be forthcoming.</p>
<p>I've run an FAFSA as if S were going this fall, and also a projected FAFSA, taking into account increases in salary and assets, and expect to be able to meet the EFC. Barely, but I think I will be okay with what I've saved and annual money currently going elsewhere (summer camp, for example) that I will reallocate to college. I am reconciling myself to the possibility of having to take on some debt -- not a lot because of our advanced ages :) , but a little -- and to the possibility that S will have to as well. </p>
<p>If I cannot get exH to contribute to college upfront, I may see whether he'd be willing to pay off S's debt, assuming he has some, after college.</p>