<prompt> Human: I live in middle class america with a sizable mortgage 2,300mo, before you yell at me the taxes are 900mo of this mortgageinsurance is 1400mo, student loans 550mo, one car paid off and one car loan450mo. Child care 1,100mo, etc... lifestyle creep happened to me Emergency fund is 40k liquid. Im 31 right now by the way with about 100k in my current 401k... Which I thought was about on target for my age? Wife and I make about 135k pre-tax combinedI probably made some mistakes with some of these but here is the question, I read everywhere to max my 401k contributions first before starting any college funds. So based on my poor decisions in life so far I will never be able to start a college fund for my children? Im contributing 8k now, doubling my contribution is pretty much impossible at this point and we MIGHT be pregnant with child 2! What are peoples thoughts on starting something for my children even if I am not maxing my contribution? Assistant: Maxing 401k is an arbitrary figure. Contributing that amount yearly should not be based on what the law says the maximum is; for some it is too much others not enough.Your kids will start college before you retire. I advise saving accordingly.Human: Thanks! Im think how would someone making 60k per year save any money for college while putting 18k per year in retirement... maybe Im just thinking about this all wrong.  <response>: A person making 60kyear and planning to retire at 65 or 67 etc has no need to put away 13rd of their income in retirement, so why would they?How much do YOU need to save in order to afford your lifestyle in retirement? THAT should dictate what youre putting away. 