How do I balance saving for college versus saving for my own retirement?

Retirement comes first — almost always. The reason is simple: there are loans, grants, scholarships, and work-study for college, but there is no financial aid for retirement, and time in the market is your most valuable asset. A common framing is to fully fund your retirement (at least capturing your employer match and ideally maxing tax-advantaged accounts) before directing extra dollars to a 529. Shortchanging your retirement to over-fund college can leave you dependent on your children later, which helps no one. Once your retirement saving is on track, contribute what's comfortable to college. Even a modest, consistent 529 amount started early does a lot. Check whether your retirement is genuinely on pace using wealthserene.com/tools/retirement-planner before ramping up college savings.