Thank you everyone for the detailed responses. I have picked up some good ideas and helped to confirm other thoughts. When you haven’t gone through the whole process it is hard to fully understand the steps of when you need to do what. I think I will come up with a number I feel comfortable buying down my mortgage but not go crazy. To answer a few questions asked, My daughter is a strong STEM girl (hasn’t missed a question on math on any test PSAT, SAT 1, SAT Math II). Loves math, chemistry. She just started to talk about possibly finance so we are exploring both science and business. I also mentioned that our safety to reach are the UC’s. She is open to most UC’s, which she should get into one which covers match - reach. if she is really unlucky or she doesn’t pull together a good application, she can always go the community college transfer route, that is her safety. She has looked at the Cal States and hasn’t seen any she likes. With that as a base she also wants to explore other campuses outside of California. No real preference about where, but I have been thinking it shouldn’t be a two plane ride + two hour drive trip to get home. I do not have a budget for her for campuses, I know people on this list don’t like that, but I am completely comfortable with it. I have other income options I can explore if I decide it is important enough to supplement my pension for a few years. I also have tried some of the NPC which is how I started thinking that I might be better off putting some of the cash into my mortgage.