On almost all insurance plans, as long as the child is in school full time, they are still considered a dependent and would stay on the insurance plan, so nothing would change from the way insurance is handled now.
My parents bought me a car - an $800 Corolla Wagon - and I was responsible for the insurance. Plenty of kids didn’t have cars and got around just fine. There’s at least as many kids with cars as without, so there’s always a ride to be found. And my freshman year was in 2000, so times haven’t changed that drastically.
My parents gave me a $300/mo stipend for food and fun, and if I wanted more, I could get a part time job. So, I got a part time job. The money you’ll save by not feeding your teenager in your home will probably be around $200/mo, so you’re only looking at $100 more per month.
Cost of feeding him while on breaks? That is kind of splitting hairs. You wouldn’t bill your ex for the cost of the annual extended-family Christmas dinner that you continue to host post-divorce would you? IMO, once the kid is at college, visiting home is more of an at-will, when-affordable expense.
Travel to and from school: How far away is the kid going for school? They wouldn’t travel more often than on the major holidays and breaks, right? This seems like the only thing that would be really up for discussion, or even worth working out ahead of time.
If your ex-husband was planning for paying for college on a credit card before you divorced, to me, that says he was NEVER going to be financially responsible for college. Paying for four years of your kids life on credit cards is just about the perfect picture of financial IRresponsibility. And it doesn’t too much for teaching the kid about responsibility either. If anything, you’re saving yourself money with your ex not in the picture, because without a credit card, you’ll pay only the true cost for all expenses instead of an additional interest rate, and you and your child will be more likely to limit spending to neccessities, so there won’t be as many extraneous charges to pay off.
Unfortunately the court has no jurisdiction over expenses once your child reaches 18 and graduates from high school. If the two of you are unable to reach an agreement on this issue you will need to do what you can and feel comfortable with when the time comes, if your Husband does not contribute a portion, then your child will need to find some alternate sources of financial aid.
Helena M. Nevicosi
Attorney with Rosen Law Firm
4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 500
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
919.787.6668 main phone
919.256.1665 direct fax
10925 David Taylor Drive, Suite 100
Charlotte, North Carolina 28262
704.644.2831 main voice
704.307.4595 main fax
1829 East Franklin Street, Bldg 600
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919.321.0780 main phone
919.787.6668 main fax
The response posted above is based upon the limited factual information made available and is not intended as a full and complete response to the question. The only reliable manner to obtain complete and adequate legal advice is to consult with an attorney, fully explain your situation, and allow the attorney sufficient opportunity to research the applicable law and facts required to render an accurate opinion. The basic information provided above is intended as a public service but a full discussion with an attorney should be undertaken before taking any action.
I know neither parent is responsible for a college student and they must get loans, etc if the parents do not pay. But there is more to taking care of a college student than tuition and room and board. How do you decide who pays car insurance, medical insurance and uninsured medical, travel to and from school, clothing, cost of feeding him while on breaks, etc, etc.
We never set up a college fund as my husband said he would pay for it on a credit card. He left 7 months ago and doesn’t want to be financially responsible for son going to college in the fall. Problenm is, there are 3 other siblings younger than him who will also go to college, so I need to get a plan in place.
Husband grossed 380K last year, myself 60K. I am receiving PSS and CS for the younger 3 children. HOw do we decide how to share colleg costs ? I don’t think it is fair for the custodial parent to foot the entire bill and also think with our wage difference a 50/50 split would be unfair to me.With my PSS and CS I only have enough to meet the needs of our family and not much extra. He will be coming back to my house on breaks. The only thing that wasn’t decided yet was ED - could college costs be settled into that. We went to court to settle PSS and CS