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college for the kids

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3rdreichgeneral

Junior Member
state PA

I have 3 children from my ex, one is 14, 16, and turning 18 in May.
The soon to be 18 year old wants to go to to college to be a journalist. I agreed to pay $100 a week as long as he is keeping a C average and staying out of trouble while he was in school and that I would not pay during breaks or anything.
The ex is not happy and wants more and said she will take me back to court and and have her Uncle (who is an attorney) to get me for all she can.
I am of moderate income not considered wealthy and have little debt but Im trying to fund my retirement. I thought child support ended when they were done high school.
 


TinkerBelleLuvr

Senior Member
state PA

I have 3 children from my ex, one is 14, 16, and turning 18 in May.
The soon to be 18 year old wants to go to to college to be a journalist. I agreed to pay $100 a week as long as he is keeping a C average and staying out of trouble while he was in school and that I would not pay during breaks or anything.
The ex is not happy and wants more and said she will take me back to court and and have her Uncle (who is an attorney) to get me for all she can.
I am of moderate income not considered wealthy and have little debt but Im trying to fund my retirement. I thought child support ended when they were done high school.
http://divorcesupport.about.com/od/childcustodylaw1/qt/PennCusSup.htm

Where applicable under this section, a court may order either or both parents who are separated, divorced, unmarried or otherwise subject to an existing support obligation to provide equitably for educational costs of their child whether an application for this support is made before or after the child has reached 18 years of age. The responsibility to provide for postsecondary educational expenses is a shared responsibility between both parents. [Based on Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes - Title 23 - Sections: 4322, 4326, and 4327]
 

TinkerBelleLuvr

Senior Member
It has been known to happen that when the parties go into court to recalculate support as a child ages off of support that support does NOT go down as hoped for. You need to work your numbers to see what may happen.

It is true that Curtis vs. Klein did affect post-secondary support, but it also states that the judges have discretionary power when it comes to support.

An attorney in your area would know the climate of the court to see what your best options are.
 
What No ignore this above poster tink? How did that happen?

Anyway

Age of majority in Pennsylvania is set at 18 or graduation from high school, whichever occurs later (23 PA CS section 4321).

Duty to pay child support is not typically terminated automatically. PA no longer recognizes a statutory cause of action for post secondary educational support. 23 Pa.C.S.A Section 4327(a) was ruled unconstitutional in 1995 by the Supreme Court of PA in the Curtis vs. Kline case. However, contractually based agreements for post secondary educational support contained in marital separation agreements are still enforceable. (Title 23 PA.C.S. 4321
(2))


This violates the equal protection clause from the 14th amendment to force non-custodial parents to pay for secondary education.
 

TinkerBelleLuvr

Senior Member
What No ignore this above poster tink? How did that happen?

Anyway

Age of majority in Pennsylvania is set at 18 or graduation from high school, whichever occurs later (23 PA CS section 4321).

Duty to pay child support is not typically terminated automatically. PA no longer recognizes a statutory cause of action for post secondary educational support. 23 Pa.C.S.A Section 4327(a) was ruled unconstitutional in 1995 by the Supreme Court of PA in the Curtis vs. Kline case. However, contractually based agreements for post secondary educational support contained in marital separation agreements are still enforceable. (Title 23 PA.C.S. 4321
(2))


This violates the equal protection clause from the 14th amendment to force non-custodial parents to pay for secondary education.
When a post includes a creditable cite, then it is acceptable.
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
There is not when you mention you have LEGAL BACKGROUND and have not been vetted by the administrators and post stupidity.
 

nextwife

Senior Member
FYI: This is the financial planning advice that Suze Orman (and other financial experts seem to concur) gives regarding parental contribution toward college:

What advice does Suze Orman give on paying for college?

Do: Decide if you can legitimately afford to save for your children's education or not. With mortgages imploding, adults neglecting their retirement savings and perhaps even lacking any sort of emergency savings, a young couple must put themselves and their needs first so that they don't become a financial burden on their children later in life. The best way to lay the groundwork for your child's financial future is to make sure that as parents you have a will, a living revocable trust, and the proper life insurance policy (I recommend term insurance with a death benefit equal to 20 times the income you want to replace if you die) in place in case something happens to you while your child or children are young.


5 priceless money-saving tips from Suze Orman - Money - TODAY.com
The additional recommendation is that the financial contribution to college be set aside from birth, unless one is of sufficient means to pay later.

Another excerpt:
https://www.piedmontcu.org/content/college-savings-vs-retirement-savings

. . . Once we have an idea of how much money we'll need in retirement, let's ask the question of the day, "Where am I going to get that money?" Here are the options to fund your retirement: Pension, social security, investment income (401K, IRA's, annuities, certificates, etc.), and work. Unlike college, a loan is not a viable option for retirement funding. A big loan during the golden years usually only serves to make those years a little less golden.

The short and simple answer is that retirement savings is almost always a higher priority than college savings. The quality of life in your golden years will primarily be the result of the choices you have made in regards to saving money for it.
I see way too many people neglecting to save anywhere near sufficiently for retirement. Most of us will never recieve a pension, and these factors should be considered when reviewing parental responsibility for their adult child's education. Those of us with no pension in our future need to be putting significantly more into 401ks and IRAs.

As stated, loans are available to fund college, but NOT to fund retirement. Most financial planners recommend retirement savings be given a higher priority than paying for their kids college (unless they actually can afford to do both) if one is planning their fiscal life responsibly.
 
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