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The Shocking Cost of College: How to Be Smart and Avoid a Tuition Trap
Brian Skrobonja talks about the real cost of college—and why most families are dangerously unprepared. Tune in to learn how to fund your child’s education without sacrificing your retirement. Expect to hear eye-opening numbers, smarter strategies than 529 plans, and a flexible approach that keeps you in control, no matter what path your child takes.
- Brian starts by explaining how to avoid being blindsided by college costs. Most parents assume they’ll have time until the first invoice shows up. And when it does, it doesn’t just hit your wallet—it hits your entire financial life.
- Understand why “college tuition” is just one part of the picture. The real cost includes everything else: housing, books, transit, lab fees, and incidentals. And those extras can add up to more than tuition itself.
- Brian explains how college costs can quietly destroy retirement plans. You want to help your child, but helping without a plan can wipe out decades of savings.
- How to ensure college costs don’t catch you by surprise.
- Learn why a 529 plan is helpful—but also restrictive. It only works if your child follows a specific path and goes to college.
- Brian describes why flexibility should be a priority when planning for college. What if your child takes a gap year? What if they don’t go to college at all? You need a funding tool that moves with life—not against it.
- Why a 529 plan can hurt your financial aid eligibility. Every dollar in that account shows up on the FAFSA. And that could mean less aid, more loans, and more stress.
- How cash value life insurance creates breathing room. It doesn’t show up on aid forms, and you can use the money for anything—college or not. That kind of freedom changes how you plan.
- Brian explains how life insurance can do what college savings accounts can’t: tax-deferred growth, tax-free access, and zero usage restrictions.
- Learn why not all life insurance is designed for this. Some policies are built for death benefits—not cash value. You need the right structure, the right funding, and the right guidance.
- How to plan for college without sabotaging your lifestyle. Tuition shouldn’t mean pausing your retirement or downsizing your life. According to Brian, smart planning means both futures can coexist.
- Understand the real power of liquidity in college planning. For Brian, savings are great. But if they’re locked up when the bills arrive, they’re just numbers on paper.
- Brian reveals why thinking in lump sums is the wrong mindset. College is a cash flow challenge, not just a savings goal. You don’t need $200K on day one—but you do need to know where every semester’s payment will come from.
- Brian describes what real planning actually looks like. It’s not just picking an account—it’s designing a strategy. One that flexes, protects, and puts you in control, no matter what life throws your way.
Mentioned in this episode:
BrianSkrobonja.com
SkrobonjaFinancial.com
SkrobonjaWealth.com
BUILDbanking.com
Common Sense Financial Podcast on YouTube
Common Sense Financial Podcast on Spotify
References for this episode:
https://capstonewealthpartners.com/11192015cash-flow-is-king/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Trends-in-College-Pricing-and-Student-Aid-2024-ADA.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.parents.com/parents-are-sacrificing-to-pay-for-college-11761247?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://moneywise.com/managing-money/debt/my-wife-and-i-are-well-off-but-we-told-our-daughter-21-we-couldnt-afford-to-pay-for-her-college-now-shes-graduated-with-90k-in-student-loans-and-a-chip-on-her-shoulder?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.benefitnews.com/news/citizens-parents-compromise-retirement-over-college-costs?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN12024
Alternative investments may be subject to less regulation than other types of pooled investment vehicles. Alternative Investments may impose significant fees, including incentive fees that are based upon a percentage of the realized and unrealized gains and an individual’s net returns may differ significantly from actual returns. Such fees may offset all or a significant portion of such Alternative Investment’s trading profits.
Incorporating alternative investments into a portfolio presents the opportunity for significant losses including in some cases, losses which exceed the principal amount invested.
Also, some alternative investments have experienced periods of extreme volatility and in general, are not suitable for all investors. Asset allocation and diversification strategies do not ensure profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
----
BUILD Banking™ is a DBA of Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC. Benefits and guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the insurance company. Not FDIC insured. Results may vary.
Any descriptions involving life insurance policies and its use as an alternative form of financing or risk management techniques are provided for illustration purposes only, will not apply in all situations, may not be fully indicative of any present or future investments, and may be changed at the discretion of the insurance carrier, General Partner and/or Manager and are not intended to reflect guarantees on securities performance.
The term BUILD Banking™, private banking alternatives or specially designed life insurance contracts (SDLIC) are not meant to insinuate that the issuer is creating a real bank for its clients or communicating that life insurance companies are the same as traditional banking institutions. This material is educational in nature and should not be deemed as a solicitation of any specific product or service. BUILD Banking™ is offered by Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC only and is not offered by Madison Avenue Securities, LLC. nor Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC.
----
This content is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the particular needs of an individual’s situation.
Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC, Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC, Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC are not permitted to offer and no statement made during this presentation shall constitute tax or legal advice. Our firms are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or any governmental agency. The information and opinions contained herein provided by third parties have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed by Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC, Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC, Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC.
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By Brian SkrobonjaBrian Skrobonja talks about the real cost of college—and why most families are dangerously unprepared. Tune in to learn how to fund your child’s education without sacrificing your retirement. Expect to hear eye-opening numbers, smarter strategies than 529 plans, and a flexible approach that keeps you in control, no matter what path your child takes.
- Brian starts by explaining how to avoid being blindsided by college costs. Most parents assume they’ll have time until the first invoice shows up. And when it does, it doesn’t just hit your wallet—it hits your entire financial life.
- Understand why “college tuition” is just one part of the picture. The real cost includes everything else: housing, books, transit, lab fees, and incidentals. And those extras can add up to more than tuition itself.
- Brian explains how college costs can quietly destroy retirement plans. You want to help your child, but helping without a plan can wipe out decades of savings.
- How to ensure college costs don’t catch you by surprise.
- Learn why a 529 plan is helpful—but also restrictive. It only works if your child follows a specific path and goes to college.
- Brian describes why flexibility should be a priority when planning for college. What if your child takes a gap year? What if they don’t go to college at all? You need a funding tool that moves with life—not against it.
- Why a 529 plan can hurt your financial aid eligibility. Every dollar in that account shows up on the FAFSA. And that could mean less aid, more loans, and more stress.
- How cash value life insurance creates breathing room. It doesn’t show up on aid forms, and you can use the money for anything—college or not. That kind of freedom changes how you plan.
- Brian explains how life insurance can do what college savings accounts can’t: tax-deferred growth, tax-free access, and zero usage restrictions.
- Learn why not all life insurance is designed for this. Some policies are built for death benefits—not cash value. You need the right structure, the right funding, and the right guidance.
- How to plan for college without sabotaging your lifestyle. Tuition shouldn’t mean pausing your retirement or downsizing your life. According to Brian, smart planning means both futures can coexist.
- Understand the real power of liquidity in college planning. For Brian, savings are great. But if they’re locked up when the bills arrive, they’re just numbers on paper.
- Brian reveals why thinking in lump sums is the wrong mindset. College is a cash flow challenge, not just a savings goal. You don’t need $200K on day one—but you do need to know where every semester’s payment will come from.
- Brian describes what real planning actually looks like. It’s not just picking an account—it’s designing a strategy. One that flexes, protects, and puts you in control, no matter what life throws your way.
Mentioned in this episode:
BrianSkrobonja.com
SkrobonjaFinancial.com
SkrobonjaWealth.com
BUILDbanking.com
Common Sense Financial Podcast on YouTube
Common Sense Financial Podcast on Spotify
References for this episode:
https://capstonewealthpartners.com/11192015cash-flow-is-king/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Trends-in-College-Pricing-and-Student-Aid-2024-ADA.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.parents.com/parents-are-sacrificing-to-pay-for-college-11761247?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://moneywise.com/managing-money/debt/my-wife-and-i-are-well-off-but-we-told-our-daughter-21-we-couldnt-afford-to-pay-for-her-college-now-shes-graduated-with-90k-in-student-loans-and-a-chip-on-her-shoulder?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.benefitnews.com/news/citizens-parents-compromise-retirement-over-college-costs?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN12024
Alternative investments may be subject to less regulation than other types of pooled investment vehicles. Alternative Investments may impose significant fees, including incentive fees that are based upon a percentage of the realized and unrealized gains and an individual’s net returns may differ significantly from actual returns. Such fees may offset all or a significant portion of such Alternative Investment’s trading profits.
Incorporating alternative investments into a portfolio presents the opportunity for significant losses including in some cases, losses which exceed the principal amount invested.
Also, some alternative investments have experienced periods of extreme volatility and in general, are not suitable for all investors. Asset allocation and diversification strategies do not ensure profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
----
BUILD Banking™ is a DBA of Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC. Benefits and guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the insurance company. Not FDIC insured. Results may vary.
Any descriptions involving life insurance policies and its use as an alternative form of financing or risk management techniques are provided for illustration purposes only, will not apply in all situations, may not be fully indicative of any present or future investments, and may be changed at the discretion of the insurance carrier, General Partner and/or Manager and are not intended to reflect guarantees on securities performance.
The term BUILD Banking™, private banking alternatives or specially designed life insurance contracts (SDLIC) are not meant to insinuate that the issuer is creating a real bank for its clients or communicating that life insurance companies are the same as traditional banking institutions. This material is educational in nature and should not be deemed as a solicitation of any specific product or service. BUILD Banking™ is offered by Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC only and is not offered by Madison Avenue Securities, LLC. nor Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC.
----
This content is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the particular needs of an individual’s situation.
Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC, Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC, Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC are not permitted to offer and no statement made during this presentation shall constitute tax or legal advice. Our firms are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or any governmental agency. The information and opinions contained herein provided by third parties have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed by Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC, Skrobonja Insurance Services, LLC, Skrobonja Wealth Management, LLC.