College savings sounds like one of those “future you” problems—important, sure, but not urgent when life is busy, bills are loud, and kids are still small. Yet this is one of those financial topics where small missteps early can quietly snowball into massive regrets later. Tuition keeps climbing, student debt stories keep getting uglier, and families are often left wondering how they did everything “right” and still fell short.
The truth is, most college savings disasters don’t come from laziness or neglect, but from well-intentioned mistakes that feel smart at the time. Let’s break down the biggest ones before they quietly drain your future.
