This year, T. Rowe Price's Parents, Kids & Money Survey revealed some interesting new data on the evolving perceptions money among today's children and their parents. We found that many kids (62%) expect their parents to cover the cost of “whatever college I want to go to.” Yet most parents (65%) will only be able to contribute some to the cost of college. And, the results suggest that student loans can lead to increased anxiety and financial stress. Parents with their own student loans are more likely to lose sleep over college costs (49% vs. 40%), and are significantly more likely to have credit card debt (67% vs. 54%) and payday loans (19% vs. 7%).
Judith Ward, CFP®, a senior financial planner at T. Rowe Price and mother of two college graduates, notes, “Preparing for college entails more than studying for the SATs and should begin before kids have even started Kindergarten. It starts with saving for college in accounts such as 529's and having regular money conversations at a young age, so later they’ll be able to understand the financial trade-offs involved in selecting a college.”
T. Rowe Price encourages parents to invest in their kids' futures by talking to them about money matters weekly, including how they are saving for their college. To help, the firm has created MoneyConfidentKids.com, which provides free, educational, online games for kids; tips for parents that are focused on financial concepts such as goal setting, spending versus saving, inflation, asset allocation, and investment diversification; as well as classroom lessons for educators.