As soon as both my children were born in 2017 and 2019, I superfunded their 529 plans equal to the five-year gift tax exemption. At the time, I was thrilled to do it given a parent’s number one responsibility is to provide for their children.

Finally, a tax-efficient way to shift some of my assets to two of the most important dependents in my life. My parents and my wife chipped in each year as well. Once the five-year contribution window reset, I kept going, contributing up to the annual gift tax limit.

By June 2024, I hit a wall. I had reached my goal of funding four years of full-priced private university tuition in a 529 plan—enough to ideally match or outpace college cost inflation. With that box checked, I suddenly felt adrift, like I had lost a key source of purpose. It was a mini parental existential crisis