Life event
Saving for college without guessing the number
"Save for college" is easy to say and hard to size. Turn it into one number: the monthly amount that reaches a college-cost target by the time your child turns 18, at a return you choose — and see what starting early changes.
What changes
The target
Four years of tuition and costs, anchored to published College Board averages, sets the number you're aiming at.
The monthly amount
Working back from age 18 turns that target into a specific monthly contribution at the return you assume.
The head start
Time in the market is the biggest lever — starting earlier, and counting any 529 you already hold, lowers the monthly number.
Run the numbers
Free, private, and source-cited. Bring your numbers, see your result — no account required.
Make it part of your plan
Save your numbers once and this moment becomes part of a plan you can come back to — see how it moves your savings, your cushion, and your month-to-month room over time.
Saving for college? →These tools produce estimates, not advice, and don’t sell products or referrals. Every result cites its source and the date it was verified. See our sources.