<prompt> Human: ALERT: I am pretty new here, so forgive my lack of knowledge. I am currently contributing 80 a month to my 7 yo daughters 529 fund, but am starting to wonder if that is a good idea. After lurking around on PF, it seems like a made a cardinal sin of investing in her college, before investing in my retirement. I do not think i am eligible yet for company matching, but should i start my own 401k in the meantime? After all my budgeted expenses I have maybe a couple hundred left over at the end of the month.  <response>: Yes, you should be saving at minimum 15 for retirement and ideally maxing retirement accounts before saving for your kid. 