Quote:
Originally Posted by Chazno
I would say that is assuming you can fully fund the Roth. If you can only put away 6k a year, put it in the Roth. No reason to put 3k into 529 and 3k into Roth. If your kids decides not to go to college or gets scholarships you will end up losing money or finding alternate uses for it (grandkids, neices/nephews).
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Minor point of clarification that 529s are actually fairly flexible on what "college" means in this case. Trade schools, votechs, community colleges, or even lifelong learning courses are eligible, as well as the supplies needed to support that education (e.g., books). So if you think your kid will do ANY sort of post-secondary education, it will likely work.
But that said, it would obviously not be efficient to put $100k into a 529 if your kid ends up doing an associate degree at a CC for $15k instead.
Finally, to the topic of Roth vs. 529, I'd generally agree that the Roth is probably the main priority in the case of someone who can withdraw at the time the college funds would be needed. However, look into your own state's 529s. Some of them offer extra benefits. Colorado, for example, lets you deduct state taxes from contributions, which can make it slightly more attractive in certain situations.