What's inside
- Plan: up to 4 children, each with age, college start age and years, cost per year today, the share you want to cover, savings so far, monthly contribution, expected return and college inflation
- Results per child: years to college, projected savings, inflated total cost, your goal, the gap, the monthly contribution needed, the extra vs today, or the lump sum today instead
- Totals for all children, a chart, and each child's balance at every birthday until college
- Sample: two children aged 3 and 8, covering 60% of a $28,000-a-year college: $819 a month in total closes both gaps, $269 more than now
Checked, not just designed: all 125 formulas recalculate with zero errors, and every result was checked against an independent month-by-month simulation (the needed contribution found by search on the simulation, not a formula), including edge cases.
Works in Excel and Google Sheets. Projections, not financial advice.
Try the free version first
The free online calculator uses the same model for a quick answer. The spreadsheet adds tracking, history and the full views.