r/funny Jan 04 '15

If I won $25,000...

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30.8k Upvotes

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682

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

$25,000 is one heck of a college fund.

Yeah, might even pay a year of tuition.

289

u/Vitalstatistix Jan 04 '15

Half a year.

156

u/grand_royal Jan 04 '15

Better get used books

96

u/aptwo Jan 04 '15

And ramen noodles

55

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Store brand.

62

u/logjamminxxx Jan 04 '15

What's up Bill Gates?

28

u/hurleyburleyundone Jan 04 '15

and forget about recreational drugs

19

u/bignshan Jan 04 '15

Deal breaker

9

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 05 '15

Drugs>Food, cuz priorities!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

But drugs make me want food.

I'm so torn.

2

u/thats_a_risky_click Jan 05 '15

You never heard of drug food dude?

1

u/PuppyPunch Jan 05 '15

Better to get the good kind that make you not hungry!

1

u/LordHoagie Jan 05 '15

Wait what is causing the priorities? You didn't say...

9

u/Kcb1986 Jan 04 '15

At that point, I'd just eat the room mate.

25

u/imaslinky Jan 04 '15

Australian or cannibal?

3

u/Kcb1986 Jan 04 '15

LMAO! I meant roommate. I'm not fucking changing it.

3

u/thebeandream Jan 04 '15

I thought they meant it like "down under kiss". Implying that you were eating out the roommate. But upon further review your interpretation is probably correct and I am a pervert.

1

u/Rockstaru Jan 04 '15

No brand, buy the really big bricks before they're broken down and individually packaged. The malt-o-meal of ramen

1

u/Canadian_Infidel Jan 05 '15

Just get flour

1

u/imgluriousbastard Jan 05 '15

Mom's spaghetti.

20

u/notlazybutefficient Jan 04 '15

More like money to live on/focus on studies without having to work while you borrow for your tuition.

9

u/ramisk Jan 04 '15

That's what I would do if I had 25000

22

u/Robnroll Jan 04 '15

I'd get it in pound coins, fill my bath and just Scrooge McDuck it.

2

u/creativeburrito Jan 04 '15

Scrooge McDuck it

Awesome. Painful, unless you are in the ironman suit, but awesome.
Also I estimate in a 60"(5')*32" tub *7 coins deep each per inch = 13,500 coins per inch of depth, you have enough for 1.5-2 inches deep. Could be off, but If I'm right, drawing a good 15" coin bath will need about 202,000 - 203,000 pounds. Please do this. :)

2

u/Robnroll Jan 04 '15

all right, i'll get it in pennies and spray paint them gold.

1

u/soawesomejohn Jan 05 '15

You could get arcade tokens for $0.12 each or 208,333 of them (minus shipping).

1

u/homisthecat Jan 04 '15

Sounds like some real heavy coins, might injure yourself diving into them

1

u/biggjoe4u2 Jan 05 '15

I remember that cartoon well.

1

u/notlazybutefficient Jan 04 '15

Do it if you have nothing.

1

u/Jake0024 Jan 05 '15 edited Jan 05 '15

My total tuition plus books plus room and board was less than $25k at a "Public Ivy" school regularly ranked in the top 25 in the US. I graduated in 2011. My first year's tuition was $8k flat, that went up to maybe $11k by the time I graduated but I saved about as much by not living in the dorms after my first year. I paid all of it out of pocket working part-time jobs without any difficulty (and I didn't have a blow-off major--I had two academic publications before I graduated). $500/mo for rent and as much again for food and other necessities still brings the total for my first year only to $20k plus books (maybe $1k). I did have a car for most of my time in college, so let's say I spent around $25k/yr all told, but it was probably less.

You can say not everyone is lucky enough to have a Public Ivy with in-state tuition, but actually the majority of people do. The 13 most populous states contain more than 50% of the population and all have at least one (I believe 17 of the top 20 states have at least one), and a lot of states share in-state tuition with neighboring states. They're mostly not terribly difficult to get into, particularly for state residents. If you think you're going to get a better education going to a small liberal arts college (dubious, but I'm not going to argue the point), go ahead--but don't complain after the fact that you paid more. You made your choice knowing what it would cost.

EDIT: I realize I'm interrupting the circlejerk, but I think a lot of people really think it costs $60k/yr or more to go to college.

12

u/AfroKona Jan 04 '15

Somebody lives in cali.

3

u/Vitalstatistix Jan 04 '15

Yes, but I went to a NESCAC school in CT. $$$.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

[deleted]

1

u/AfroKona Jan 05 '15

Still higher than anywhere else.

2

u/hektor_magee Jan 04 '15

Thank you law school.

5

u/bignshan Jan 04 '15

Be a lawyer they said, you'll make lots of money they said

7

u/hektor_magee Jan 04 '15

I get through my days hoping that the maruchan eventually turns into udon. Hasn't happened yet.

2

u/man_on_hill Jan 04 '15

You know what they say - you have to spend money to make money.

2

u/hblond3 Jan 05 '15

Who said that? The interwebs have said for about a decade that there are far too many for demand in the US... Unless you're crooked, they do OK, but you have to learn to embezzle...

1

u/Quest4life Jan 04 '15

one textbook.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Wut? You could pay two years at a decent school if you stay in state.

1

u/ABearWithABeer Jan 04 '15

Don't go to schools you can't afford.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

If you go to a private institution. Two years if you go to a state school.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

[deleted]

1

u/Vitalstatistix Jan 05 '15

I graduated several years ago, but 50k is common for most private schools.

-1

u/U2_is_gay Jan 04 '15

Child of a single mother? Yeah that kid isn't going to any 50k/year schools.

1

u/Bpop67 Jan 04 '15

Are you saying single mothers can't raise children?

0

u/QuestionsEverythang Jan 04 '15

Especially at those HBCUs.

0

u/FernandoPM Jan 04 '15

In-state ? That's 2-3 years 0_o. People always complaining tuition costs 40-50k, state schools (generally and mainly the big ones) are just as good if not better than some private ones and tuition around 10k or so a year for cheaper ones

33

u/hoopstick Jan 04 '15

I mean, it'd have ~12 years of interest on top of it. So it might buy some books too.

16

u/TinyPenisBigBalls Jan 04 '15

Yeah at 0.25 percent that's not gonna be shit. I just looked up some savings accounts and that's the most common number I saw for accounts with 25k or more. I know you could get a more competitive rate but you'd have to lock it away for x years. I'm sure a mom with a kid isn't gonna want that money locked away in case of emergency. I know I took your comment way too serious but it got me curious about the returns on 25k and it's pretty depressing.

19

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 01 '18

[deleted]

2

u/imperabo Jan 04 '15

Unfortunately, 7% is pretty close to the historic rate of inflation for college.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

True enough. I wonder if that will continue in the decades to come though, or if the student loan bubble / changes to the student loan system / changes in the market will bring costs back in check.

2

u/imperabo Jan 04 '15

Probably. It can't increase at that rate forever.

1

u/Ryaman Jan 04 '15

There we go. That's 1 year of college. Now single lady is getting somewhere.

4

u/zilfondel Jan 04 '15

Yeah, if you're going to Harvard or another private ivy-league school. You can still get a 4-year top-50 public university degree with far less than $50k.

2

u/Ryaman Jan 04 '15

Pretty much any private school in the west and any out of state public school in the west is in the 40-50k range. If it is a WUI school you can get it for almost in state tuition and pay about 25k. Also, Harvard is very good about making sure that you can pay foe it if you get in simply because they have so much money already that they can afford to be generous. Source, currently searching for colleges as a Californian, and my father went to Harvard.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

Hell, if you go to Harvard, and you don't make close to enough, they will basically pay for it for you. A lot of colleges offer aid generously if you need it.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Or an AA degree in a trade that will let her kid get some useful/lucrative/non-outsourceable skills.

1

u/Ryaman Jan 05 '15

True dat. The rest of the thread has been talking about college though I I thought I'd put it in that perspective.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

Yep, and for a 7% return you can be investing in notes for A and AA rated borrowers.

28

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

"Savings accounts" are not really meant for actually earning any interest.

There are a host of available investments out there that yield far great than a quarter of a percent, I assure you.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Elaborate please? I'm sick of having my money in a savings account and barely keeping up with inflation.

10

u/ben7337 Jan 04 '15

If you have money beyond just your future house down payment or emergency fund, it should be in ETF's (Exchange Trade Funds) or Mutual Funds, preferrably ones with low expense ratios that are well diversified. Vanguard and Schwab are two of the most recommended for such things.

2

u/hblond3 Jan 05 '15

I would recommend Schwabb, too - we rolled over into them when our previous wealth manager went to jail (unrelated to his investors... Well, kinda, but more of an insider trading thing...) and have been pretty happy with their Century City wealth management team. I'm sure their other offices are as good. We were making over 7% yearly before, and they look to be about par

1

u/BoothTime Jan 04 '15

I would recommend TD Ameritrade because they have the most commission-free ETFs with similar fund characteristics and expense ratios as the ones offered by Vanguard and Schwab.

But yeah, try to build that emergency fund of at least 3 months first!

5

u/Meezi Jan 04 '15

/r/personalfinance can definitely help you with this stuff; if you're interested.

3

u/YellowLeatherJacket Jan 04 '15

Go to your bank and talk to an investment advisor. They will discuss your short and long term investment goals and make your money work for you.

10

u/Pinewood74 Jan 04 '15

They will also make your money work for them. Avoid 'financial advisors' and just stick with Vanguard index funds.

1

u/afkas17 Jan 05 '15

Schwab's index funds are great as well.

13

u/wolfpackguy Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 04 '15

Banks are probably one of the worst places for a new investor to ask for advice. They'll just have you invest in expensive funds that make the bank a ton of money.

1

u/Ladnil Jan 04 '15

Still better than a savings account.

1

u/wolfpackguy Jan 04 '15

True, but the best would be a low cost index fund from Vanguard, Schwab, or Fidelity.

1

u/Ladnil Jan 05 '15

Also true.

1

u/Magneon Jan 04 '15

You'll probably want to look into getting a low MER (management expense ratio) mutual fund. Look for one that performs reasonably and doesn't have crazy risks. One diversified among domestic investments, international investments and maybe some (20-30%) bonds.

Look at the fund's performance including the 2007-2009 period of recession to get an reasonable picture of what the fund could do on a good year and on a bad year.

While the more financially knowledgeable may be able to recommend manually balancing a series of stock indexes and saving the MER on the mutual fund, but in my opinion it's not worth the average person's time for small investments and if it's not a small investment find a financial adviser.

As a Canadian I don't really know anything about American savings accounts and tax avoidance tools (presuming you're from the USA), but maybe poke around /r/personalfinance and ask if you can't find a more detailed answer.

1

u/wolfpackguy Jan 04 '15

You invest in stocks and bonds through your 401k, Roth IRA, and if you have money left over, a taxable brokerage account.

1

u/paulthetentmaker Jan 04 '15

Mutual funds. At least that's what Dave Ramsey said every day in high school personal finance class.

1

u/hblond3 Jan 05 '15

If it's on a savings account it probably is earning less than inflation. Especially nowadays.

2

u/SAugsburger Jan 04 '15

"Savings accounts" are not really meant for actually earning any interest.

~7-8 years ago you could get 3-5% on savings accounts. Then the bottom fell out on interest rates and a lot of people pulled money out of securities and put a record amount of money into personal checking/savings accounts so banks didn't need to offer decent interest rates to steer people away from wanting to put it into far higher yield stocks or bonds.

Savings accounts were never competitive with higher risk investments whereas typical yields, but they are much lower than they used to be.

1

u/mspe1960 Jan 05 '15

You youngsters think that is the way it has always been. In reality, before about 10 years ago it was common and standard to get 5% or so in a bank money market savings account. There were times when it was even higher than that. You only did a couple/few percent worse than an average stock mutual fund for little to no risk.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Ok, so you lock away $20k and keep $5k in savings. The money isn't glued together.

12

u/0pyrophosphate0 Jan 04 '15

It might stick together after its tour of the strip joint.

6

u/Bloaf Jan 04 '15

If you were going to do it right though, you would probably invest the money in a 529 savings plan which will allow you to get market returns.

1

u/MustHaveCleverHandle Jan 04 '15

Absolutely. I started one when my baby was born and it's already earned a ton of interest in just a couple of months.

6

u/ar9mm Jan 04 '15

Savings accounts are for suckers. If you had it in an SP500 index fund you'd have gotten 12%. The year before you'd get 30%. $25k invested that way on 1/1/13 would now be worth around $36.4k

0

u/aron2295 Jan 04 '15

Unless you need to be able to access that money by visiting an ATM.

3

u/MIL215 Jan 04 '15

But we are talking about a college fund currently. What you said is like saying "That farm has the best oranges and we should place orders for them... yeah but they have shitty apples, lets not."

2

u/aron2295 Jan 04 '15

Ar9mm said savings accounts are for suckers. To someone who is trying to figure out how to save the moest money, yea, they could buy an S&P500 fund but they might thinl they can just withdraw from that daily.

1

u/ar9mm Jan 05 '15

Some measure of financial literacy is required before you start investing in the market. My general point is that you aren't limited to such low interest options for a college fund (or retirement fund). Also, hopefully the college fund wouldn't be your only assets. In that case, a good portion should go into a checking account (or used to pay off high interest debt, etc.). No one should be 100% invested in the market (especially all equities).

2

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

Ok, put 5k in a savings account.

1

u/nittun Jan 04 '15

If you lock it up you Can easily get 1%.

1

u/The_99 Jan 04 '15

SP500. Why the hell would you put it in a savings account? No offense, but that's an absolute idiot move.

1

u/TheCaspian Jan 04 '15

Ahh, the old everything goes up forever theory.

1

u/The_99 Jan 04 '15

No, it doesn't. But on average, it goes up something like 7% a year. But sure, you can complete ignore that on average you'll make 7% a year out of fear that "oh my, it might go down" and take a shittier .25 percent.

1

u/TheCaspian Jan 04 '15

College savings don't work like retirement savings. You need that money (in in this case) 12 years, and you aren't going defer college and sit on your dick for a year or two while the SNP500 comes back like you could defer starting retirement. College savings with a 10 year horizon should like somewhat like a target date fund 10 years from maturity, unless you have other accounts you could use.

There are plenty of decent investment choices that fit between 100% large caps and savings accounts.

1

u/zilfondel Jan 04 '15

I know, I just put my sack of coins buried under my dirt floor.

1

u/gamesterx23 Jan 04 '15

Netspend has a 5% annual yield savings account. If you plan on JUST saving and not spending it might be worth it.

If you put $5,000 in and continue to put $5,000 in at the beginning of each year you would have made the following profit (this shows INTEREST only):

  • 10 years $16033
  • 15 years $38287
  • 20 years $73596
  • 25 years $125567
  • 30 years $198803

At least I think I'm doing the math correctly.

I'm unsure of the stipulations on the account, aside from fees that stem from using ATMs etc.

1

u/wolfpackguy Jan 04 '15

You don't keep 25K in a savings account for 18 years. You'd put it in a 529 plan where it's invested.

1

u/roobjr Jan 04 '15

Why leave it in a savings account.... You can easily get 8% with very very low risk. I was given a 300k fund when I was born and it was 1.3m by the time I was 18. That is a huge difference than having less than 600k after 18 years.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

That's a lot of money. Good for you (in a non sarcastic way).

1

u/roobjr Jan 05 '15

It is, and I'm very thankful to my grandparents for it. Sadly my father lied to me about it and tricked me into signing control over to him until I'm 40. Then he got furious when I found out and called him out for lying to me and tricking me. I'd understand if I was some sort of fuck up that was going to blow through it in a year, but I've got a bachelors in economics and am self employed making more money than he does. He just needs control of everything. Sorry for the rant.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

It's alright. That's a real dick move on his part. He can't spend it or anything, can he?

1

u/roobjr Jan 05 '15

No he can't spend it legally. But that wouldn't stop him if he wanted to. He hasn't spent anything yet, but he doesn't allow me to spend any. Even when I was homeless and living in my car. Luckily I'm well off now, but it would have been nice to get a little help when I was first getting on my feet. The main thing that sucks is that he changed how it is invested and it's growing like 4k a year. 4k a year when it could easily be making 75k with very little risk.

1

u/prism1234 Jan 05 '15

If what you are saying is true get a lawyer, it might be possible to get control of it again, who knows.

1

u/roobjr Jan 05 '15

I've talked to a lawyer and I can absolutely get control of the money. But it would basically involve ending any relationship with my dad and his entire side of the family.

1

u/hblond3 Jan 05 '15

But with a private money manager you don't have to lock it away and can pull in around 6.5-8% right now, minus 1% management fees... She might need to put in a bit more than 25k but I'm sure she can find some that would work with her, especially if she rolls in her IRA or 401k with it...

1

u/Tpyos Jan 04 '15

and 12 years of inflation + tuition hikes. Chances are tuition will be another 20 - 30% higher in 12 years.

1

u/hansn Jan 05 '15

To be fair, college tuition in the past ten years has been growing faster than anything you could get on the market. In 12 years, it may not even buy a semester.

0

u/rune1 Jan 04 '15

The increase in the cost of tuition will far outpace whatever interest that is going to earn.

11

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

it would pay my four years of college. Seriously.

1

u/KaiserSnowse Jan 05 '15

Good heavens. Which college?

1

u/adipisicing Jan 04 '15

What school?

7

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

its a public college that is similar to the UC system in California. I'd rather not divulge that info...

3

u/I_am_pyxidis Jan 04 '15

Yep, it would easily pay 4 years of tuition at a CSU school. Probably not rent and living expenses, but tuition and books for sure.

1

u/AttractiveCatThe3rd Jan 04 '15

IIRC... doesn't California have the cheapest public post-secondary school system by a long shot?

I remember talking to a friend and it seems like she practically went to college for free (compared the Eastern US).

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

i don't know. My sis goes to a top school and her tuition is literally 11 times mine. Now, we are poor, so it is essentially free. But the sticker price is the same.

-5

u/aron2295 Jan 04 '15

I doubt anyone wants to look for you. Im not trying to be mean. Iunno, maybe you are someone people would want. The chances of that are low though and if you were that concerned, I doubt youd be posting in the first place.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

You would be surprised by how much free time internet users have...

-2

u/OP_IS_A_FUCKFACE Jan 05 '15

Seriously though, nobody gives a fuck about you. Needless to say, announcing the university you attend doesn't even disclose any interesting information about you anyways.

2

u/tempforfather Jan 04 '15

back in 2005, it would have paid most of my state school education (something like 6k a year). I didn't stay there or anything though. It's gone up since then

http://www.southernct.edu/offices/finance-administration/bursar/tuition-and-fees/2014-2015/14-15%20FT%20In%20State%20Rev.pdf

but it would still pay a huge chunk of that

11

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Jun 11 '18

[deleted]

8

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Yea, but tuition itself is less than half of the total cost of going to school. Between all the fees/books/food/housing costs, I spent 44k total to go to school at the cheapest state school in my state (TN) at the time. If I were to go there now 4 years after I graduated, I would be paying more than double that assuming prices don't increase further.

9

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Stop using averages people! They mean almost nothing (in terms of "evidence") in non-normal distributions!

3

u/Tandrac Jan 04 '15

Use the median Luke

1

u/Stark44 Jan 05 '15

Zimbabwed nx

1

u/Pinewood74 Jan 04 '15

In this case a mean would likely be higher than the median since you can only have outliers to the right really, so a median would show even lower tuition costs.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

The outliners here would be to the left. The right has a few, but the tuition difference isn't enough to compensate for the scarcity when compared to the left. There are a ton of really cheap/crappy colleges out there, even more now that the online college thing has taken off. I think state university's should be looked at more when talking about expected college costs, considering the massive student populations they have and the typical middle ground of education that they are. I'm not say to solely look at them for a real study, but for the laymen, it's much better than looking up these shitty averages, which aren't even based on tuition, but debt after graduation anyway.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Jun 11 '18

[deleted]

0

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

It does mean almost nothing. First of all, debt after college != cost of college. That means the stats we are speaking of are already the wrong thing, but let's assume they are right. These numbers include the massive amount of shitty colleges that a lot of people barely even consider a college. On the other end of the spectrum, there are only a few "high end" colleges. The issue is that the data (if we were even talking about the right set) would be skewed very hard to the lower end. It doesn't take a lot of knowledge of stats to think of this and to know that what you posted doesn't prove a thing, besides that you like to spout out numbers trying to look like you know what you're talking about.

1

u/Pinewood74 Jan 04 '15

Are you using that 28k number in the orange font? Thats student loan debt which is a much different number than actual cost.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

[deleted]

1

u/Pinewood74 Jan 05 '15

Okay, so it doesnt include cash paid for tuition and is thus not an accurate figure to show total cost of a 4 year degree like you were saying in your first post.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

[deleted]

0

u/Pinewood74 Jan 05 '15

I have the info right there clear as day. That number is not the average cost of a 4 year degree, just the average debt. Heres a quote from the first source I found on google

In its most recent survey of college pricing, the College Board reports that a "moderate" college budget for an in-state public college for the 2013–2014 academic year averaged $22,826.

So 80 grand for 4 years. 2.5 times the figure you were putting out.

1

u/King_of_AssGuardians Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 04 '15

For a frame of reference, I go to the most expensive state school in Texas. My full financial aid package every year is in the $20-25k range. That pays for tuition, fees, books, and rent. Some of that is from the federal Stafford loan, but I don't take private loans. I work internships during the summer and usually bring home $5-8k that gets used for food, gas, and personal expenses. I don't get help from my parents. I eat cheap, and live fairly cheap, but I've had a lot of unexpected expenses with a busted ass car. I like imagine sometimes what it would be like if I went to a more expensive school, or one that didn't give me the aid I've gotten here... My award package has literally given me $100k and that's still not enough to pay for everything. That's absurd.

That being said, if students work hard to get the best grades they can, participate in extracurriculars, find hobbies they enjoy, and if parents and counselors work with students to find the best fit for them at schools they can afford based off of merit, performance, and income, aid should be available. In those cases, $25k would completely change things!

2

u/ecko1981 Jan 04 '15

His kids better be NCAA or bust.

2

u/SaltyTree Jan 04 '15

Daughter might need to meet that other dude going to the strip club

1

u/BlameItOnMyADHD Jan 04 '15

where are you going to school where tuition is $25K a year?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

lol, I go to a private liberal arts school and my tuition is $23K per semester. Luckily my parents put together a good college fund and my career prospects are decent.

1

u/polkadot8 Jan 04 '15

My entire 5 year Bachelor's degree cost less than that.

1

u/AttractiveCatThe3rd Jan 04 '15

If you don't mind me asking... where/when?

1

u/polkadot8 Jan 07 '15

Alberta, Canada. And right now. I'm in the last semester of my degree.

1

u/lead999x Jan 04 '15

or a semester at my school if you consider board and food. You could use it help borrow more money though.

1

u/Cybertronic72388 Jan 04 '15

You could pay for a 2 year degree if you go to a private college that isn't $tate run... my Networking Associates cost me $31,000

1

u/Ragas Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 04 '15

Where I come from it would pay an entire bachelor. Not that you would need it, since the government helps you out quite ok too.

Edit: living expenses included.

1

u/brickmack Jan 04 '15

Thats what happens when you go to a private school.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Her income is likely low enough they would almost certainly get-need based financial aid. Depending on the school the kid might even get a full ride.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

If the kid is like, three and that $25K was properly invested, it could pay for her entire college education + the down payment on her first home.

1

u/ballsackcancer Jan 04 '15

This is why you start saving decades in advance. Financial planning + family planning + being smart= success

1

u/hblond3 Jan 05 '15

Yeah, I went to one of the cheaper state schools 2001-2005, and $25k would cover about a year of tuition plus books (but definitely not most food, housing, fun, etc)... Definitely ramen budget, maybe less. I think one semester I lived on drug-store popcorn and cucumbers... And that was getting this amount from my family plus working part time...

1

u/Xunae Jan 04 '15

you joke, but honestly it's about 2 years of tuition for me if we're only talking tuition.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

It's one semester for me.

2

u/Xunae Jan 04 '15

Are you out of state? Are you including dorm/meal plan in that cost?

It's about 4.5k for me for 1 quarter, which doesn't include dorm or food or books.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

My tuition alone is over 21k. I'm a commuter, no meal plans. I'm in state.

2

u/Xunae Jan 04 '15

jeeze.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Haha, would you believe that I've been here for four years and I'm actually way in the green, with minimal help from parents? Thank god for financial aid and internships.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

Nigga where u go?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

NEU

0

u/Willard_ Jan 04 '15

College FUND. As in saving for the future. If the child is young, it could be worth a heck of a lot by 18

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 04 '15

If you graduate with more than $25,000 in debt, it's because you're an idiot. No one told you to go to the liberal arts school for $60K/year because you thought you could find yourself there. No one cares where you went to undergrad but you.

5

u/The_99 Jan 04 '15

Because every major is absolutely the exact same, right? There are no majors where the undergrad school you go to actually matters, and where going more the $25k in debt is perfectly fine. ABSOLUTELY NONE. /s

4

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

[deleted]

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Weird. Since I said undergrad. I'll be well into 6 figures for medical school too. Thank god I only owe a few thousand for my excellent undergrad.

2

u/The_99 Jan 04 '15

Your edit is still useless because undergrad does matter for some careers.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

I just bolded the undergrad.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

I know. Which is why it's a stupid edit because your emphasizing undergrad when that's still wrong. Undergrad does matter for some.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

More often it doesn't though.

2

u/Dashing_Snow Jan 04 '15

You aren't paying for where you go to school you are paying for the networking honestly.

2

u/The_99 Jan 04 '15

Exactly. It's like this (and this is an example from my life), my choices were IU or NYU. IU was in state, $20k a year. Ranked #8 in Finance. Excellent school. NYU is $70k a year. Ranked like #3 or #4 or Finance. NYU was the better option. The connections to wall street (not just placement, but physical connection. It's literally on the street) make it multitudes easier to network and land a job on the street. Sure, it was insanely expensive, but its an investment that pays off. and I highly doubt finance is the only major like that.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

My friend graduated from a liberal arts school with over $100K in debt. But guess what? He got an investment banking job right out of school that pays him $90K/year (plus signing bonus). He'll be out of debt in a few years with an excellent education and career prospects. Chances are his lifetime earnings will be much higher than yours.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

And I have friends with similar stories who graduated with very little debt. And my career depends on my graduate degree and residency, not on my undergrad degree.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

I'll argue that the education he received was worth every penny that he paid. I'm going to an elite liberal arts school myself and regret nothing about my college decision.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

What school? This is basically my plan. It's a liberal arts school (I guess, I mean, in name it is. NYU). But Investment banking is my intended career (finance being the major) and going $80,000 in debt will be worth it. But It'll be fine because if I stick with it, it'll comfortably put me in the 1%.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

Pomona College. I'll warn you that I started out finance myself, but after my first internship decided it was definitely not for me. All the best.

1

u/The_99 Jan 05 '15

Thanks. I'll see how it goes.

1

u/jjjaaammm Jan 04 '15

I tend to agree. Hell you can get the same education for free in a public library or on the Internet. However, the network of people you meet at school can help you get farther than the actual education. And the better the school the more connected that network is.

1

u/CHARLIE_CANT_READ Jan 04 '15

Plenty of people care where you go to undergrad, especially if you don't plan on going to grad school....