My daughter was born eight weeks ago and I'm trying to think about a 529 plan. A few things I'm wrestling with:

Starting now vs waiting: 18 years of compounding on anything I put in now will clearly outperform later contributions. But I'm still building my emergency fund and I don't want to over-commit to a college-specific account before my own retirement is on track.

529 vs Roth IRA for education: Roth IRA contributions (not earnings) can be withdrawn penalty-free for education expenses. Some people use a Roth IRA as a flexible alternative that can serve double duty. The tradeoff is that it reduces retirement contribution room.

Target amounts: a 4-year public university in-state is currently running $100-120k all-in. Assuming 5% annual education inflation, that's roughly $230-270k in 18 years. That number feels daunting for most families — the realistic goal is usually to cover a meaningful portion, not everything.

I'm starting with $100/month in a 529 and planning to increase as income grows. Not a full solution but a start.