Joint Custody and Medical Bills

[Jake 48]

Caddy,
kids were 8 and 6 when we split up. I didn't remarry till they were 16 and 14. It was not easy at first, I was angry, but time heals and in the big picture I have known my Ex for 32 yrs. she is a good mother to the boys, she is not going anywhere and for the boys it was the stand up thing to do. Ex, wife#2 and I always took an active role in their school work, teacher meetings etc.. we always tried to be on the same page. I did the same for wife #2 and my step daughter, (her Ex is a DB, step daughter has issues and with therapy she is dealing w/ her father) I have 2 boys who I am proud of and it has a lot to do with the example you set. We even took care of my Ex's dog for 2 weeks when they went to Hawaii.

[caddy]

jake -- that's pretty impressive. I'm sure things were tough for you. My DH would not be able to support himself without a spouse. Not well, anyway. I'm sorry to hear about your step-daughter... is she around the same age as your sons?

By the way, how did you save for your sons' and daughter's college expenses? Or, rather, how would you save if you had $500/month to set aside for 10-15 years?

I've kept my savings in cash for the house, but later in the year I'm planning to keep my long-term savings in a moderately aggressive mutual fund (I like the Capital Appreciation fund from T. Rowe Price). I thought we could use this money to help the kids pay for college/start out on their own. I like the idea of a fund over a 529 because it's flexible and doesn't have to be paid toward the institution itself.

The tax benefits of a 529 put it on top, but I fear a situation in the future that causes things to change requiring me to pay taxes on that money at a higher income level.

[Jake 48]

Caddy,
Step daughter is same age as youngest boy, now 22. college is behind us, oldest son in the Navy, youngest state school, split tuition in half after grants and some student loans applied, number wise we paid 3 yrs out of the 4, son is on the hook for 1 yrs tuition, but I will probably subsidize for a yr or 2 till he gets established. SD, her father promised to pay 100%, forced the kid into student loan mess and took my wife to court to get more from her. SD dropped out of college during second yr, (substance abuse)We got her into rehab 2x, DB EX owes us 20k for out of state rehab. cries poor mouth but manages to keep his 2 kids from second marriage in private school and keep the second home in ski country. What goes around, comes around, he will get his due