I'm a big believer in saving for major life events including college.  It always amazes me when I talk to my friends and families that so few of them are putting money away for college.  The chief excuse I hear is that they can't afford it.  But with the state-administered 529 plans, you need as little as $25 to open an account and you can contribute that much every month to it --or in some cases, you can contribute only when you have the money.  For most state plans, you don't need a broker or a financial planner to open an account.  You don't need to pay any fees either.  And investing is pretty easy because you are given only a few choices for where to put your money.  It takes less time to open a 529 Savings Account than it does to plan a family vacation.  Here is the best resource I've found for looking at 529's --and it's really built by the people who know about 529's --the treasurers of each state in the US:  http://www.collegesavings.org/index.aspx