Draw the fees map
List each child and each stage: nursery, primary, secondary, university. Put today's fee next to each, and the year it starts. Add a yearly increase. Most families are surprised to see two or three expensive years overlap.
Split by currency
Fees paid in naira should be saved in naira. Fees abroad, or at schools that price in dollars, are safer planned in dollars, so a weaker naira does not wreck the plan in the final year.
Two or three expensive years overlapping is the moment most families start borrowing. A fees map shows it years ahead.
Use buckets by date
Fees due in the next three years go in a safe bucket: Treasury bills and money market funds. Fees further away can sit in a balanced portfolio, then move to the safe bucket as the date gets close.
Plan for the extras
Uniforms, levies, exam fees, hostel, flights and visas often add a fifth to the headline fee. Put them in the plan from the start.
Check against real letters
Each year, compare the plan with the actual fee letters and adjust. A small change early beats a scramble in August.
In short
- Draw the fees map
- Split by currency
- Use buckets by date
- Plan for the extras
- Check against real letters
General information, not personal advice. Example rates for illustration only. They are not promised returns: investments can fall as well as rise, and past performance is not a guide to the future.