College Is Expensive. Here’s How Smart Parents Plan for It.

Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

Money News Network

Self-improvement, Business, Education

4.6 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Four-year college isn’t the default anymore… but saving for your kid’s future absolutely is. Today, Nicole breaks down the modern playbook for affording college whether your kid is a newborn, or if they’re applying to colleges now. This is your simple guide to 529 plans, custodial accounts, Coverdells, prepaid tuition plans, and the newest government-backed savings option making headlines. If you’ve ever wondered, “What happens to a 529 plan if my kid doesn’t go to college?” Nicole will teach you a smart move there, too. Check out Nicole’s financial literacy course The Money School Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole’s company Private Wealth Collective Watch video clips from the pod on Money Rehab’s Instagram and Nicole Lapin’s Instagram Here’s what Nicole covers today: 00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab? 01:11 Where To Start If You Have a Newborn 01:28 Everything You Need to Know About 529s 04:44 Where To Start If Your Kid Is in Grade School 05:42 The Pros and Cons of Custodial Accounts 08:17 Where to Start if Your Kid Is in High School 10:32 Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously.
0:04.4	On public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated
0:11.1	assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI.
0:15.8	It all starts with your prompt, from renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor
0:21.8	suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the
0:27.2	AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it
0:32.9	against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite
0:39.8	possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's.
0:45.2	Go to public.com slash money rehab and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio.
0:53.2	I'm Nicole Lappen, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand.
0:58.6	It's time for some money.
1:05.0	Whether your kid just took their first steps or if they're a high school senior weighing their college options, there are always smart money moves you can make to help them succeed.
1:18.0	My daughter just turned one. So this is a whole new world for me right now. I've certainly heard of college savings plans forever, but I needed a new rulebook because honestly,
1:28.0	education looks a lot different than it used to. A traditional four-year university still on
1:33.1	the table, but more and more young people are choosing trade schools, community college,
1:38.3	apprenticeships, and sometimes skipping formal education altogether in favor of entrepreneurship.
1:44.1	That means how we save for their
1:46.1	future needs to reflect those choices. It is definitely not a one-size-fits-all model anymore.
1:52.5	But the good news is we have options. So today I'm going to walk you through exactly what I recommend,
1:57.6	not just as a money expert, but as a new mom myself who's navigating all of
2:01.7	this in real time. Let's start at the very beginning. Pregnancy or those wild sleep deprived newborn
2:07.4	days. If that's you right now, first of all, I feel you. My daughter just went through sleep
	...

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