<p>thecheckbook - Like you, I worry alot about the economy especially living in CA. My H is an electrical engineer who has worked for several start up companies over the past ten years and has usually done well when these have been sold. Now he is trying to raise money for another start up he is working with and the usual souces have all dried up for getting venture capital. He is also finding it more difficult to get consulting work. </p>
<p>We have decide to let our oldest D know that we have a set amount of money we will be giving her for college. We will not qualify for any financial aid, but D may qualify for merit money. She understands that she needs to choose the colleges she will apply to and audition for based on the amount we will pay plus any merit money she may receive. We have another D that will enter college two years after the older one. We also will not sign for her to get any loans in her name as we do not want her to come out of school in debt when she is persuing a career in MT.</p>
<p>In looking at our savings for college and our current finances we are able to give D enough money so that she has a wide selection of MT schools she can apply to and we can still continue to save towards our retirement without adding on many more years of debt to pay off. Each family must consider what is best for their situation. Both my H and I did not pay for our under graduate educations (H paid for his grad school and took on no debt). I went to a state school her in CA and my H went to a university in Scotland.</p>