Belle- you are a good friend for trying. The last time I asked someone (who was describing the process by which her 17 year old daughter was going to get a judge to emancipate her) “Well, is she claiming that you are abusive parents or just neglectful ones?” she almost choked on her coffee. There is some website/financial adviser out there claiming that if you put all your money into an annuity AND have your kid emancipated in family court you won’t pay a dime for college (you will pay plenty to the salesperson who sells you the annuity however). And you will be spending all your free time with social workers, case workers, and the Guardian ad litem that the judge appoints to protect your kid.
The truth is a lot less interesting than the scam du jour…