These may be two of your largest goals. The good news is that there’s a lot of assistance out there to help you reach them. In the meantime, use these benchmarks to help finalize your important list of goals.

The College Board reported that for the 2005-2006 school year, one year of a private college costs an average of $29,026—that’s including tuition, fees, and room and board. Multiply that times four and you’re talking close to $120,000 for a four-year school—assuming your child wants to live in a dorm. A public institution costs $12,127, including tuition, fees, and room and board. That’s $48,000 to live away from home for four years. By contrast, your child can go to a two-year public college for an average of $2,191, or a little over $4,000, for the full two years. The added costs of room and board likely won’t be necessary. (more…)

Life changes after we retire. This is the time for some to be free from mustiness to work for earning a living, raising family, and some routines that we hate to do. But this is can be a time of boredom, uselessness, capitulation and slowing your life’s pace. Either way, the way we will likely fell or behave after we retire is much more depend on what activities we want to do on that particular time. (more…)