Jill Schlesinger offers smart money moves for college savers

Average published tuition and fees for the 2025-26 school year are $11,950 at public four-year in-state colleges, $31,880 at public four-year out-of-state colleges and $4,150 at public two-year in-district colleges, the College Board estimates. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger has built her reputation on the questions those bills raise: how to pay for college, how to protect retirement savings and how to make sensible investing choices when the economy feels uncertain. She is an Emmy-nominated business analyst for CBS News and a certified financial planner, and her work spans the economy, markets, investing and the full range of everyday money decisions.

College costs are the stress test

The college question usually lands first because the numbers are unforgiving. The College Board estimates that the average net cost of attendance for first-time full-time in-state students at public four-year colleges is $21,340.

That gap between sticker price and net cost is where many families get stuck. Tuition is only part of the bill, and the difference between published charges and what a family actually pays can be large enough to distort planning if the only focus is the headline number.

529 plans still do the heavy lifting

For families trying to save ahead of those bills, 529 plans remain one of the clearest tools available. Earnings in a 529 are generally not subject to federal tax, and often not state tax, when withdrawals are used for qualified education expenses. That tax treatment is the reason the accounts are so often central to college plans, especially when years of compounding can matter more than a single large contribution.

The list of qualified expenses is broader than tuition alone. Under Internal Revenue Service guidance, 529 withdrawals can cover tuition, fees, books and room and board, and they can also be used for up to $10,000 per year for elementary or secondary school tuition.

The blind spot Schlesinger keeps pushing against is the idea that families must choose between saving for college and saving for everything else. A 529 can be part of the answer, but it is still one piece of a much larger savings plan that has to account for housing, emergency reserves, retirement and day-to-day cash flow.

Retirement savings cannot be the fallback

The pressure to redirect money toward tuition is real, but retirement accounts come with hard limits that make that tradeoff dangerous. The Internal Revenue Service set the 2026 contribution limit for traditional and Roth IRAs at $7,500, or $8,600 for people age 50 and older.

The problem is not just arithmetic. Retirement savings are supposed to compound over decades, and there is no borrowing mechanism for retirement the way there is for education. That is why the simplest planning rule often proves the most durable: do not rob the account that has no loan option in order to ease a college bill that can be financed, reduced or paced over time.

The recurring blind spots are familiar

The same mistakes surface again and again in household money conversations, and they usually begin with fear. Families often:

• treat college costs as if the only choices are full payment now or no plan at all
• assume retirement contributions can be reduced without consequence
• look for quick investing fixes instead of a structure that fits the full budget

She is not only CBS News’ business analyst, she also hosts the nationally syndicated Jill on Money radio show, podcast, web and blog, where she covers the economy, markets, investing and other money topics.

A larger toolkit for everyday money decisions

Schlesinger’s newest audio project extends that approach. Money Moves with Jill Schlesinger launched June 30 and releases new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. The show answers questions, debunks bad financial advice and helps listeners make smarter financial decisions.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers free tools and educational resources on money topics and major life milestones, while Jill on Money points readers toward advisor resources, college-planning tools and retirement calculators.