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Financial Sacrifices Are Crucial To Send Your Child To A University

HSBC, one of the world’s largest financial institution, conducts its yearly survey series entitled “The Value of Education”. This yearly report examines the parent’ expectations and aspirations for their children’s education.

In 2015, it highlighted that a whopping 90% of Singaporean parents saw undergraduate studies as an essential tool for their children’s success. The interesting part was that majority of these parents (about 83%) were willing to pay more to send their children overseas. The only downside was that some of these parents do not have sufficient money saved. Can you see how much importance was given to university education despite the lack of financial foresight?

Let us move towards the recent 2016 report. Parents in Singapore spend an average of S$21,000 annually on their beloved’s university education. This significant amount is more than twice the global average. Furthermore, majority of these parents (about 52%) were willing to get trapped into debt just to fund their children’s studies. Singaporeans seem to perceive higher education, including overseas studies, as a clincher for future success. Simply ask the billion-dollar tuition or tutorial industry!

The potential issues arise when parents ignore their other financial commitments such as building a savings account for their golden years. Avoid these issues by employing practical steps when planning for your children’s education.

Consider these four steps:

1. ESTABLISH YOUR SAVINGS IN ADVANCE

If you are going to have stellar aspirations for your children, it is only fair that you plan ahead. Open a savings fund for your his or her education during the early development years. Doing so will enable you to have a decent amount of money kept by the time that your child goes to university (i.e., 19 to 21 years old).

2. ENCOURAGE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

Teaching your child the value of money and work opens doors to a brighter financial future. Do not forget about the basics of personal finance including budgeting and investing. Being able to manage their finance is essential to adulthood.

3. ASK FOR PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE

Seeking professional advice allows you to pinpoint your financial opportunities and potential pitfalls along the way. Need I say more?

4. TAP INTO YOUR CPF ACCOUNT AS A LAST RESORT

Singaporean parents may use their Central Provident Fund Ordinary Account (CPF-OA) savings to cover their children’s diploma or degree courses at approved institutions. If your CPF-OA is insufficient, you can apply for the school’s financial assistance schemes or the Tuition Fee and Study Loan schemes offered by the government.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Make this option your last resort as you need your savings for retirement, healthcare, and other emergencies.

Sources: 1 &2

Sensible Steps To Prepare For Your Child’s Tertiary Education

1. ESTIMATE YOUR TOTAL COSTS

The education system in Singapore follows high standards of quality and fosters excellence in its students. Offering various choices for pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education, it is worth taking a careful consideration at Singapore’s local schools. Not only do they provide a more affordable rate but they also set the bar for all the universities across the nation.

Estimate how much you have to pay for the school fees, living expenses, and other miscellaneous. Do not forget to factor in the inflation rate. For example: If the school fee at NTU or NUS is about S$27,560 last 2010, it will increase to up to S$38,000 by 2030 due to the annual inflation rate of 1.6%. How do you plan to save up for that?

2. LOWER THE COSTS

If the total spending capacity of your household is tight, consider reducing your child’s university expenses. Take up scholarships and other financial aids available at the school. Also, it is important for your child to figure out what he or she really desires to become before venturing off to a course and later shifting to another. An education fund for four years is definitely cheaper than a fund for six.

3. CHOOSE THE FINANCIAL PACKAGE WISELY

There are tons of financial packages tailored to help you save for your child’s tertiary education. Before deciding to commit to one, you must…(a) set your goals first, (b) assess if the package meets your needs, (c) determine how much you can afford, (d) and know how much risk you are willing to take.

After clearing those things up, you must choose between:

a. LIFE INSURANCE PLANS

If you are going to rely on whole life policies, note that only a part of the policy value is guaranteed. The rest of the non-guaranteed value relies on the performance of the insurer’s participating fund. While investment-linked policies do not guarantee the fund values. Said values rely on the investment performance of underlying funds.

b. UNIT TRUSTS AND EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (ETF)

The underlying assets that your unit trust or ETF is invested in determines the value of your investment. Given that your investment path is fixed until your child enters tertiary education, you must select a unit trust or ETF that accommodates your timeline and investment objective.

c. BONDS

Bonds, usually regarded as less risky than equities, are primarily fixed income-securities. You shall receive the bond face amount on maturity. However, it comes with the credit default risk of the issuer. A decreasing credit quality of the issuer may cause its bond’s price to decline.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (CC0 Public Domain)

d. TUITION FEE LOAN SCHEME

Aside from the options above, you can consider loans such as the Tuition Fee Loan Scheme for approved schools. The loan has 0% interest during the period of study.

e. CPF EDUCATION SCHEME

The CPF Education Scheme allows you to borrow from your CPF ordinary account to sustain your child’s local tertiary education costs at approved schools. It is subjected to a withdrawal cap. After graduating, your child will be required to repay the amount withdrawn plus additional interest.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Sneaky Costs Of University Education In Singapore

Everyone knows that saving money for tertiary education is not an easy task. With fees totaling to about S$8,000 a year, getting into your dream school takes effort and creativity. Not to mention, fees are graver if you are an international student.

Be forewarned that aside from the tuition fee, here are the “hidden or sneaky” expenses that can take a toll on your budget:

BOOKS

When you are studying at the university, you will realize that textbooks can get really expensive The prices of books you need to purchase depend on the modules you have to take per semester or quarter. A single reference book costs about S$45-100 based on my experience.

Despite these hefty expenses and as much as you would like to skip buying them, most of the required textbooks are crucial to pass the course.

SUPPLIES

When choosing your course, remember that you are making an important investment. You are investing for your future career in many ways including your supplies. For instance, if you are taking up a course in Media and Communications, you may be required to purchase a professional high-resolution camera. And if you are taking up architecture, it is uncommon to spend more than S$1,000 (per year) on tools and materials needed for model-making tasks.

SOCIAL GATHERINGS

For you to meet other people and expand your circles, it is almost necessary for you to join the school’s social gatherings. If you are a member of a club, you have to be ready for the registration fee as well as the special events fees. You can expect to pay within S$10-100 per event.

For example, since previous university club was hosting a workshop, we were required to share at least S$15 for the food and materials.

EXCHANGE RATES

If you are an international student in Singapore, you must consider the dynamics of the foreign exchange rate when budgeting your money. Whether you are exchanging your Indian Rupee or Philippine Peso, the current exchange rate can affect your total tertiary education expenditure.

An increase in the value of the Singapore Dollar will result to paying more than you had expected earlier on. In contrast, an increase in the value of your “nation’s currency” will result to you paying less.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Sick and tired of travelling for more than an hour from Woodlands to NUS? Or are you a foreigner studying in the Lion City? Consider renting a room in the HDB flat or living in the campus hostel.

NUS and NTU students can save more money in transport and rent by opting for the hostels that cost about S$220-580 per month.

Image Credits: facebook.com/nus.singapore

Sources: 1 & 2

4 Things to Consider Before Applying For An Educational Loan

Tertiary Education and Graduate Studies can be too costly especially to people who live by one cost at a time without any savings plan what so ever. On the other hand, just because a bank tells you that you are qualified and approved for an education loan does not mean taking it is a good idea.

Here are 4 Things to Consider Before Applying For An Educational Loan:

1. EDUCATE YOURSELF

Before applying for any education loan, it is tantamount to understand what the student’s course aspects are such as the eligibility criteria and the loans needed to complete the whole course.

Educate yourself about the loan’s dimensions such as repayment, pre-payment fees, and cancellations.

2. SWIM THROUGH THE WHOLE POOL

Study all the possible options by swimming through the whole pool. Some banks offer the best interest rate while others offer the best processing fee. So, to save you money, enquire about all the loan schemes available in the market.

3. KNOW THE TOTAL COST

Be aware of the interest, pre-payment fees, additional processing fees, repayment options, and cancellation fees. It is always better to get rid of the debts as soon as possible but some banks may impose additional charges for pre-closure of the loan. So, ask yourself if is worth it.

Usually loan applicants concentrate only on the principal and interest to reach repayment amount. By doing so, you will have to pay extra charges that the bank authorities have not clarified. This is why it is vital to ask after educating yourself.

4. CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES TO REACH THE GOAL

Explore if there are cheaper ways to reach the same goal. Other universities offer online diploma courses that are cheaper than if you take it up on the university’s premises.

Image Credits: Will Folsom via Flickr

But, if you have done the math and your financial account cannot cover the expenses just yet…fret no more. Be resourceful instead. Volunteer works, internships, and a Polytechnic diploma may help you acquire the necessary skills without going back to undergraduate school.

By obtaining a diploma in the same field you will take in undergraduate school may help you get other subjects exempted. I have a couple of classmates who are exempted for a couple of semesters or even a year just because of the subjects and electives they have taken up in Polytechnic. Hence, it will not only save you time but it will also save you money.

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