What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Saving For Your Children’s Education

When I was a child, I was never quite sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. Or rather, I always knew what I wanted to be, but my decision changed with each passing week. Back then I was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I could be absolutely anything I wanted to be. There were just so many choices!

Now that I have children of my own, I see that same conviction in them when they talk about the future. My oldest son Zackary, especially, is just like I used to be. In fact, ever since I told him that his Karate sensei was also a police officer, he’s become enraptured by the idea that he could actually have more than one job! When last discussing his future plans, Zackary told me, “When I grow up, I want to be a fireman, a karate master, a race car driver and an inventor.”

Boy in Lego race car

Since I remember being the same way as a child, I know that it may take my son years to decide what he wants to pursue as a career one day. Even near the end of high school, I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to do for a living. While I hope that my son has a little more direction than I did by the time he graduates, I know that in the end, he’ll have to take the time he needs to make his decision. But there is one thing that I can do to help my son prepare for his future career. By starting an RESP early in my son’s life, I’ll be helping to ensure that when Zackary knows what he wants to do for a living and what education he needs to accomplish his goals, he’ll have the money he needs to pursue his dreams.

Of course, when investing in my son’s future, I want to make sure that I’m choosing a company with the experience and knowledge to help me make the most of my money too. Heritage Education Funds has been helping Canadian families manage their RESP funds for almost 50 years now and the expert financial advisors at the company always have the latest information on how you can maximize the savings for your child. From helping you take advantage of government grants such as the Canada Learning Bond and the Canada Education Savings Grant to making wise investment choices about the money for your child’s education, it just makes sense to choose a company that has so much experience with helping children achieve their career goals!

I love listening to my son’s dreams for the future and I know that eventually he’s going to find his true passion in life and make it his career. When that day comes, his RESP is going to be there to help him pay for the education he’ll need, whether he’s decided to study a trade or start medical school. It may seem like there’s plenty of time to plan for your child’s future, especially when they’re so young. But I know that the time will fly by and before I know it, I’ll be watching my son accept his high school diploma. If you have young children, talk to Heritage Education Funds about starting an RESP now. You’ll be glad you did when the time comes for your children to pursue those career goals!

mommy kat and kids rp2

38 thoughts on “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Saving For Your Children’s Education”

  1. My husband and I have been talking about starting a resp for our daughters. Wish we had started when they were first born.

  2. I helped my kids quite a bit. Just had a savings account for them and put away some whenever possible. I was lucky my daughter picked a university degree where she had work terms that paid well.

  3. Things were very tough for me when my daughter was young, I wasn’t able to put money away for her education, however, luckily for me, when she was ready to start school I was able to help her out quite a bit, she only needed a smallish OSAP loan.

  4. Elaine Buonsante

    I wish there had been assistance for saving when my children were young. My great grandchild was born last year and I’m thinking about starting an RESP for her.

  5. My parents didn’t have the money for it at the time, but I’m so glad my grandparents started an RESP for me.

  6. It is so important to start saving for your child’s education whether it’s with RESP or other types of savings. We have a nice amount with the help from my in-laws and my DD’s great grandpa. We’re lucky were/are able to contribute to furthering her education after high school.

  7. I was a single parent when my daughter was young but I decided it was important to start an RESP for her. With money being extremely tight then, I wasn’t able to save much, but it did help when she start post secondary school.

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