https://dadvesting.co/ 1 email a week on the money decisions that land on a dad's desk. What to set up, what to skip, what it costs. Free, from 2 dads who are not financial advisors. en-us Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://dadvesting.co/read/adding-newborn-to-health-insurance https://dadvesting.co/read/adding-newborn-to-health-insurance Adding a newborn to health insurance: at least 30 days at work, 60 on the Marketplace. Average plan, employee-only to family plus delivery: $8,153 in year 1. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/au-pair-cost https://dadvesting.co/read/au-pair-cost The stipend is $195.75 a week. All in, an au pair costs about $2,185 a month: $600 more than daycare for 1 kid and $1,950 less than a nanny. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/baby-cost-first-year https://dadvesting.co/read/baby-cost-first-year How much does a baby cost the first year? About $1,162 a month without daycare and $2,218 with it, every line priced from a dated primary source. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/best-hysa-for-kids https://dadvesting.co/read/best-hysa-for-kids The best HYSA for kids we found pays 3.10% (Oct 16, 2026). The 7% kids accounts pay 7% on $1,000 only. We ran both 18 years against an index fund. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/child-care-tax-credit-2026 https://dadvesting.co/read/child-care-tax-credit-2026 The 2026 child and dependent care tax credit says 50%. A couple at $120,000 gets 35% of $3,000, or $1,050. We ran 5 incomes, 1 and 2 kids, against a $7,500 FSA. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/child-tax-credit-newborn-2026 https://dadvesting.co/read/child-tax-credit-newborn-2026 The child tax credit for a baby born in 2026 is $2,200 for couples earning $37,200 to $400,000, Dec 31 births included. Plus the W-4 fix worth $84.62 a check. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/childcare-assistance-income-limits https://dadvesting.co/read/childcare-assistance-income-limits Childcare subsidy income limits by state for a family of 3: $34,656 in Idaho to $157,092 in Vermont, no limit in New Mexico, 14 states at the 85% cap. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/coverdell-esa-vs-529 https://dadvesting.co/read/coverdell-esa-vs-529 Coverdell ESA vs 529 in 2026: a 0.03% Coverdell beats an average 529 by $2,036 on fees, then its $2,000 cap trails a $250-a-month 529 by $32,724. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/custodial-brokerage-account https://dadvesting.co/read/custodial-brokerage-account Best custodial brokerage account, priced over 18 years: the index fund moves the balance $276. A $12-a-month kids' investing app costs $5,168. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/emergency-fund-new-parents https://dadvesting.co/read/emergency-fund-new-parents An emergency fund for new parents, from 2024 BLS spending and 2022 DOL daycare prices: 3 months of essentials is $16,365 with infant daycare, $13,197 without. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/i-bonds-for-kids https://dadvesting.co/read/i-bonds-for-kids I bonds for kids pay 4.26% on bonds issued through Oct 31, 2026. The catch the gift posts skip: a bond in the kid's name never gets the education tax break. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/dependent-care-fsa-2026 https://dadvesting.co/read/dependent-care-fsa-2026 The dependent care FSA limit is $7,500 for 2026, up from $5,000. We ran it against the new 50% child care credit. The number of kids flips the winner. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/529-withdrawal-penalty https://dadvesting.co/read/529-withdrawal-penalty The 529 plan withdrawal penalty is 10% of the earnings, not the balance. We ran $150 a month for 18 years: cashing out $64,608 costs $7,086 at a 12% rate. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-11T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/paid-paternity-leave https://dadvesting.co/read/paid-paternity-leave Paid paternity leave: FMLA pays $0, 27% of private workers had paid family leave in 2023 (BLS), and 12 states plus DC pay dads up to $900 to $1,765 a week. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-11T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/529-plan-for-grandchild https://dadvesting.co/read/529-plan-for-grandchild A 529 plan for a grandchild can sit in the grandparent's name or the parent's. On $150 a month for 18 years, that moves the Student Aid Index by up to $3,644. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/daycare-vs-nanny https://dadvesting.co/read/daycare-vs-nanny The cost of daycare vs a nanny, all in: about $1,585 a month for a daycare center vs $4,135 for a nanny once 2026 payroll taxes and sick-day backup hit. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/gift-tax-exclusion-2026 https://dadvesting.co/read/gift-tax-exclusion-2026 The annual gift tax exclusion for 2026 is $19,000 per giver, per kid. Math on what 2 grandparents can give, 529 superfunding and when Form 709 kicks in. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/life-insurance-new-parents https://dadvesting.co/read/life-insurance-new-parents Life insurance for new parents and new dads, run on real plan rates: what work coverage pays, the window a birth opens, and group premiums by 60. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/retirement-or-college https://dadvesting.co/read/retirement-or-college Should I save for retirement or my kid's college? We ran $150 a month 5 ways. With a 50% match it hit $96,912 by the kid's 18. The 529 alone hit $64,608. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/ugma-vs-utma https://dadvesting.co/read/ugma-vs-utma UGMA vs UTMA: what each 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. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/why-529-plans-bad-idea https://dadvesting.co/read/why-529-plans-bad-idea Why 529 plans are a bad idea, tested in dollars: we priced 6 common objections on $150 a month. 4 fall apart. 2 hold, and the math shows when. Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/utma-vs-529 https://dadvesting.co/read/utma-vs-529 UTMA vs 529, run on the same $150 a month. The kiddie tax drag came out at $0. The 4-year FAFSA gap came out at $21,323. Here is what each one nets. Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/529-and-fafsa https://dadvesting.co/read/529-and-fafsa Does a 529 affect financial aid? On the 2027-28 FAFSA a parent 529 is reported at question 40 and adds at most 5.64% of its value. A kid's UTMA adds 20%. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/custodial-roth-ira-vs-529 https://dadvesting.co/read/custodial-roth-ira-vs-529 Custodial Roth IRA vs 529: a baby's Roth cap is $0 until the kid earns pay. We ran both, plus the 529 to Roth IRA rollover worth up to $35,000. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/infant-daycare-cost https://dadvesting.co/read/infant-daycare-cost Infant daycare cost by state: Labor Department medians per month and per year for 44 states and DC, plus the 2026 tax rules that shrink the bill. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/dollar-a-day https://dadvesting.co/read/dollar-a-day How much to save for your kid each month: a dollar a day from birth to 18 grows to about $348,300 by 65 at 7%. $100 a month from birth reaches $43,072 at 18. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/registry-that-matters https://dadvesting.co/read/registry-that-matters What to put on a baby registry to save money: a named cash fund, a car seat that meets AAP rules, daily gear, diapers and what a baby costs in the first year. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/term-life-number https://dadvesting.co/read/term-life-number How much life insurance do I need with kids? The 10 to 12x income rule, a fill-in calculator, and the $990,000 a 1x work policy leaves open on $110,000. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/trump-account-vs-529 https://dadvesting.co/read/trump-account-vs-529 Trump Account vs 529: which is better? We ran $150 a month through both for 18 years. For college, the 529 nets $64,608 and the Trump Account $62,922. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/will-for-dads https://dadvesting.co/read/will-for-dads Do I need a will after having a baby? How to name a guardian for your child, what a court weighs under state law and why beneficiary forms override a will. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z https://dadvesting.co/read/wrong-state-529 https://dadvesting.co/read/wrong-state-529 Best state 529 plan? No single plan wins for every family. We ran state deductions against fees: a 0.49-point fee gap costs about $3,167 by 18 on $150 a month. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z