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This week

Trump Account vs 529: which is better? We ran both for a 2026 baby

One of them is a retirement account wearing a baby's name. The other is a college account. We put $150 a month through both for 18 years and the balances land in the same place. Everything that separates them happens at the exit.

Read the breakdown Run your own numbers
A dad working through paperwork at a table while his daughter leans over his shoulder
A dad in a t-shirt bottle-feeding his infant at a kitchen counter at dawn, a closed laptop pushed aside
How much does a baby cost the first year? $1,162 a month, $2,218 with daycare

Every line priced from a dated source: about $1,162 a month without daycare and $2,218 with it. Daycare alone is 47.6% of the bigger number.
A dad at a home desk going through a stack of benefits paperwork with a pen while his toddler plays with wooden blocks on the rug beside him
Adding a Newborn to Health Insurance: 30 Days and $8,153

At least 30 days to add the baby to a work plan, 60 on the Marketplace. On the average plan, family coverage and the delivery add $8,153 in year 1.
A dad holding his sleeping newborn on his chest in a dim nursery at dusk
Child tax credit for a baby born in 2026: $2,200, even on Dec 31

A 2026 baby is worth $2,200 on the return from $37,200 to $400,000 of income, Dec 31 births included, and $84.62 a paycheck once the W-4 is fixed.
A dad at a home desk going through a stack of benefits paperwork with a pen while his toddler plays with wooden blocks on the rug beside him
Child and dependent care tax credit 2026: 50% on the label, 35% on the return

The 2026 credit says 50% on the label. A couple at $120,000 with 1 kid in daycare gets 35% of $3,000, which is $1,050.
A dad crouching at a bright childcare center doorway, handing off his toddler with a small backpack to a smiling caregiver
Childcare subsidy income limits by state, 2026: $34,656 to $157,092 for a family of 3

A family of 3 qualifies for childcare assistance up to $58,406 in the median state. Every state's current limit, from $34,656 in Idaho to no limit at all.
A dad crouching at a bright childcare center doorway, handing off his toddler with a small backpack to a smiling caregiver
Au Pair Cost Per Month in 2026: $2,185 All In, vs $4,135 for a Nanny

The brochure says $195.75 a week. All in, an au pair runs about $2,185 a month: $600 more than daycare for 1 kid, $491 less for 2.
A dad in a t-shirt bottle-feeding his infant at a kitchen counter at dawn, a closed laptop pushed aside
Emergency Fund for New Parents: What 3 to 6 Months Costs, Line by Line

3 months of essentials for a couple with a baby in daycare runs $16,365 on BLS and Labor Department data. Daycare alone is $3,168 of it.
A 15-year-old boy mowing the front yard while his dad watches from the porch with a coffee mug
Best custodial brokerage account: the fund moves $276, the fee costs $5,168

We ran $150 a month for 18 years through 5 custodial accounts. The index fund moves the result $276. A $12-a-month app costs $5,168.
A dad and his young daughter at a wooden kitchen table sorting coins into 2 glass jars in morning light
Best HYSA for kids: 3.10% beats the 7% accounts, then loses $7,160 by 18

The highest uncapped kids savings rate we found was 3.10% on Oct 16, 2026. $50 a month for 18 years ends $7,160 behind a 7% index fund.
A dad working through paperwork at a table while his daughter leans over his shoulder
Coverdell ESA vs 529 in 2026: Cheaper by $2,036, Capped at $2,000 a Year

A Coverdell's 0.03% fund beats an average 529 by $2,036 over 18 years. Then the $2,000 yearly cap leaves it $32,724 behind.
A dad working through paperwork at a table while his daughter leans over his shoulder
I Bonds for Kids: 4.26% Through Oct 31, 2026, and the Tax Break a Kid's Name Kills

4.26% on bonds issued through Oct 31, 2026. $1,000 a year for 18 years lands at $27,512, and the education tax break only works in a parent's name.
A grandmother handing a small envelope to a toddler sitting on his dad's lap in a lamp-lit living room
2026 Gift Tax Exclusion: What Grandma Can Give Without a Form

The 2026 exclusion is $19,000 per giver, per kid. What 2 grandparents can give, 529 superfunding and when Form 709 kicks in.
A grandfather reading a book with his young grandson on a sofa while the boy's dad smiles beside them
529 Plan for a Grandchild: Who Should Own It So It Doesn't Cost Aid

Grandparent's name or the parent's? On $150 a month for 18 years, that choice moves the Student Aid Index by up to $3,644.
A dad and his young daughter at a wooden kitchen table sorting coins into 2 glass jars in morning light
UGMA vs UTMA: what each can hold, and the age that decides the payout

It comes down to what the account can hold and when the kid gets it. We read 5 state statutes and priced the handover: $64,608 at 18, $105,311 at 25.
A dad on his front porch steps looking at an open laptop, his teenage son beside him holding a skateboard
Why 529 Plans Are a Bad Idea: the 2 Cases Where Critics Are Right

We priced 6 common objections on $150 a month. 4 fall apart. 2 hold, and the math shows when.
A dad at a home desk going through a stack of benefits paperwork with a pen while his toddler plays with wooden blocks on the rug beside him
Dependent care FSA limit 2026: $7,500, and what it saves on daycare

The limit is $7,500 for 2026, up from $5,000. We ran it against the new 50% child care credit, and the number of kids flips the winner.
A dad in a t-shirt bottle-feeding his infant at a kitchen counter at dawn, a closed laptop pushed aside
Paid paternity leave: what dads get, by employer and by state

FMLA pays $0. 27% of private workers had paid family leave in 2023, and 12 states plus DC cap benefits at $900 to $1,765 a week.
A dad kissing his toddler son on the cheek
How much should I save for my kid each month? Start age beats amount

Compounding does not care how much goes in. It cares how long it sits. The gap between starting at 0 and starting at 8 is wider than the gap between $1 and $10.
A dad holding his sleeping newborn on his chest in a dim nursery at dusk
Life Insurance for New Parents: The Window a Birth Opens

A birth reopens some benefit elections and not others. What work coverage pays, when it can change, and what it costs over 30 years.
A dad sitting on a couch with his school-age son
How much life insurance do I need with kids? The 10x rule, run

Every calculator asks for 12 inputs and returns a number you do not trust. Here is the 1-line version, and why the policy at work is not it.
A dad carrying his young son on his shoulders
Best state 529 plan: is your state's tax deduction worth it?

You can use almost any state's plan, whatever state you live in. Most dads open the one their bank suggested and pay for it in fees every year until 18.
A dad with a work bag on his shoulder buckling his infant into a rear-facing car seat early on a weekday morning
How much does infant daycare cost? Every state, per month

The same infant room runs $514 a month in Mississippi and $2,123 in DC. Here is every state, plus the 2026 tax rules that shrink the bill.
A 15-year-old boy mowing the front yard while his dad watches from the porch with a coffee mug
Custodial Roth IRA vs 529: which one first for your kid?

A baby's Roth IRA cap is $0 until the kid earns real pay. We ran both accounts, plus the 529 to Roth rollover worth up to $35,000.
A teenage girl filling out a form on a laptop at a dining table in the evening, her dad leaning over her shoulder pointing at the screen
Does a 529 hurt financial aid? How a 529 plan counts on the FAFSA

A parent 529 adds at most 5.64% of its balance to the Student Aid Index. The same money in a UTMA adds 20%. We ran $10,000 and $50,000.

Guides by topic

A dad holding his sleeping newborn on his chest in a dim nursery at dusk The new-parent money checklist 13 things to set up before and after the birth, in deadline order, each with its dollar figure. Start here. A dad with a work bag on his shoulder buckling his infant into a rear-facing car seat early on a weekday morning How to afford daycare 11 ways to cut a $1,056 a month bill: the $7,500 FSA, the 2026 credit, state assistance, a nanny share, an au pair and more. A dad and his young daughter at a wooden kitchen table sorting coins into 2 glass jars in morning light Best investment accounts for kids 9 accounts, the same $150 a month through each, ranked by what the kid keeps at 18 after tax, fees and the aid form. A teenage girl filling out a form on a laptop at a dining table in the evening, her dad leaning over her shoulder pointing at the screen 529 plans and college savings How much to save, which account to use, and what it does to financial aid. 12 articles and a calculator. A dad holding his sleeping newborn on his chest in a dim nursery at dusk Insurance and benefits for new dads Life insurance, how much to buy, the will and guardian, and the work benefits a birth opens. 5 articles.
Cover of the free guide, 5 Things to Set Up Before Your Baby Arrives

5 Things to Set Up Before Your Baby Arrives

Free guide · Ranked, in order

  • Term life first, and why the policy at work is not enough
  • The will, framed as the guardianship call
  • Where the Trump Account fits, if your due date qualifies
Get the guide free
Cover of the free guide, 5 Things to Set Up Before Your Kid Turns 5

5 Things to Set Up Before Your Kid Turns 5

Free guide · The next tier

  • The 529 catch-up, priced in what waiting costs
  • The Roth IRA almost nobody knows a kid can have
  • A life insurance review, not a new purchase
Get the guide free

Earlier

A dad reading a book with his son Do I need a will after having a baby? How to name a guardian A toddler sitting on a rug beside a couch What to put on a baby registry to save money, and what to skip

Helping prevent “I’ll do that someday” from turning into a decade of delays, regret and even worse... missed compounding growth!

Who writes it

We are not financial advisors. Not licensed, not certified, not the smartest people working on this. What we are is obsessed.

Somewhere between the first kid and the second one, family finance became the thing we read about at 11pm instead of sleeping. We went and found the answers because we needed them, not because anyone paid us to.

Every institution out there publishes the comparison and refuses to make the call. Refusing to make the call is the thing we exist to not do.