While coronavirus has made academic life full of uncertainty, the one thing you can be sure of is that it’s likely to prove expensive. But don’t worry, we’ve done our homework and put together some practical tips to help you start saving for university fees.
Private school fees – let’s start with the maths
The number of parents who choose to put their children into private education has fallen significantly in recent years. According to the Independent Schools Council, private schools educate around 6.5% of the total population of schoolchildren. That works out at around 625,000 children being taught in around 2,600 schools.
And of course, private education doesn’t come cheap. Based on current prices, sending a child to a private secondary school between the ages of 11 and 18 could mean spending more than £105,000 in total. Sending them to a boarding school could cost four times that amount.
So, unless you have that amount lying around, you’ll need to start investing as soon as possible. For example, if you start saving around £461 per month as soon as the child is born, assuming that you achieve growth of 4.5%, then you should be able to have set aside around £75,000 by the time they start their first year at secondary school. But the later you leave it, the more you will have to save each month (and please don’t get us started on the cost of school uniforms).
What about university fees?
Last year, a record-breaking number of young people enrolled on degree courses to UK universities. And in 2017, the average university student graduated with a debt of £51,000 (according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies). So, if you have children looking forward to university life in the not-so-distant future, expect the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ to be called on frequently.
And, if you want to cover their debt completely, you’d need to start investing £457 a month when they turn 10 years old (assuming a return of 4.5% over an eight-year period). Start investing from their first birthday, however, and the monthly amount you need to invest falls to a much more palatable £180.
Investing for the long term
As with any investment, the best way to reach your long-term goal is to hold a portfolio of different investments spread across major asset classes (such as UK and international equities, fixed income investments (bonds), and other assets such as commercial property). Once you’ve built up a sizeable investment pot, you might want to convert some of your investments into cash, to make sure you’re always ready to pay the school fees (a good rule of thumb is to always have three years’ of school fees in cash deposit accounts).
Make use of tax wrappers
You should always try to make use of any available tax wrappers to help you with your school fees planning. Don’t forget that each parent can invest up to £20,000 a year in a Stocks & Shares ISA. This will give your investment the chance to grow tax-efficiently, and you don’t need to declare your ISA on your self-assessment.
Making use of the Junior ISA
If you can, it’s well worth making use of the Junior ISA to pay for university fees. You can open a Junior ISA on behalf of your children and currently you can invest up to £9,000 a year. As well as being tax-efficient, you can also invite grandparents and family friends to contribute. The money can only be withdrawn by the child when they turn 18.
That’s great, but my little angel is off to university this year!
If you have children about to head towards university, don’t despair. There are tuition fee loans and maintenance support designed to help manage the expense.
The maximum amount that universities can charge in tuition fees annually is £9,250. It’s worth knowing that tuition fee loans (plus any interest) are repayable over a 30-year term. Repayments only kick in once the student has graduated and is earning more than £25,000 per annum. The graduate will be expected to pay back 9% of the income they earn over this amount, so if they find a job with a salary of £28,000, they can expect to pay £270 a year (or £22.50 per month) towards their total tuition fee debt. And, if there’s any debt left over after 30 years, it is automatically written off.
We can help you start to plan ahead
If you’re thinking about how to start setting aside money to pay for your children’s education, get in touch. One of our qualified financial planners will be able to talk through the options available to you, assess your attitude towards investment risk, and come up with a plan to help you – and your kids – achieve the best possible outcome. There’s really no better time to start than right now.
If you are interested in discussing your financial plan or investment strategy with one of our experienced financial planners at FAS, please get in touch here.
This content is for information purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or financial advice.
