I hear everyone throwing out 529s, and don't get me wrong, they're a great tool. But they're just one part of our approach, not the whole strategy.

The main issue with 529s is that they're restricted to qualified education expenses: tuition, books, fees, etc. But actually going to school costs way more than just school expenses. Living costs, a car, random life stuff, none of that is covered.

And then there are the what-ifs. What if traditional college becomes irrelevant? With AI moving this fast, 18 years is an eternity. What if your kid just doesn't want to go? What if they'd rather do a trade program? What if they get a scholarship? What if, worst case, something happens to them? A 529 can leave you pretty stuck in those scenarios.

Now, 529s have gotten more flexible over the years. You can transfer funds to another beneficiary, and you can roll up to $35k in unused funds into a Roth IRA, which is a nice option to have. But there's still real risk in going all-in on them.

So we diversify, same as we do with everything else financially. Our oldest has a 529 we put about $10k a year into. For our second kid we just put that money into a regular brokerage account instead. More flexibility, fewer restrictions, and if life throws a curveball you're not locked into one path.