4 College Money Talks

Talk #3: Let’s Talk About What We Can Actually Afford

🎯 Goal

Be honest about your family’s financial reality in a way that empowers your child, invites collaboration, and protects everyone’s future.

We love you, and we want to give you every opportunity we can. That hasn’t changed. But we also want to make sure we’re all being smart — for your future and for ours.

This is a very big financial decision, and it needs to be made based on facts and reality.

Let’s talk about what we can actually afford, so we can make decisions that work for everyone.

Now invite your teen into the conversation. Walk through these key points, one at a time:

  • Here’s what we’ve saved for college…

  • Here’s what we typically spend on things like housing, groceries, healthcare, savings for your sibling(s)

  • Here’s what we can realistically contribute each year without taking on excessive debt that would put a strain on you or us.

  • Now, here’s what we’d expect you to cover, if anything — through work, scholarships, or (if needed) small, manageable loans.

This isn’t about saying no. It’s about making sure you don’t fall in love with a school that turns out to be out of reach financially, or worse, one that leaves you with a ton of future debt that holds you back after college.

Next Step

Let’s talk next about what this means for your final decision — and why a debt-free future opens more doors than prestige ever could.

What time works best for you in the next week?