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Child Future Assessment
A child future assessment works out what your child's education is likely to cost in the year they actually need it, not in today's money, and what you would have to invest each month from now to get there. Education costs have historically risen faster than general inflation, which is what makes the gap larger than parents expect.
Who this is for
- Parents of young children, where time is the asset that does most of the work
- Parents of teenagers who want to know whether the current plan is on track
- Anyone planning for a course abroad, where currency movement matters as much as fees
You will leave with
- A target figure for the year your child actually needs it
- The monthly investment that reaches it, with the assumptions written down
- An honest view of whether the timeline is still long enough to rely on market returns
How it works
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Pick the target
Which course, roughly, and in which year. A four-year engineering degree in India and a two-year master's abroad are very different numbers and need different assumptions.
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Inflate it honestly
Today's fee is the least useful number in the conversation. We apply an education inflation assumption, state it on the page, and show you what the same course plausibly costs in the year your child sits the entrance exam.
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Work backwards
From the target, the years remaining and a stated rate of return, we get to the monthly figure. If that figure is uncomfortable, we look at what a longer horizon or a staged approach does to it.
The number parents usually get wrong
Ask a parent what a degree costs and they will quote today’s fee. That is the one number that is certainly wrong, because nobody is paying it in the year that matters.
The useful question is what the same course costs in the year your child sits for it. Push a fee out by twelve or fifteen years at an education inflation rate and the figure stops looking like the one in the brochure. That is not a scare tactic; it is just what compounding does in both directions.
Two levers, and only one is comfortable
Once the target is set, there are exactly two ways to reach it: invest more each month, or give the money more time. Time is free and it is the one that runs out.
That is why this assessment is worth doing when your child is three rather than thirteen. Not because the plan is more elaborate, but because a longer runway means a smaller monthly number and less reliance on the market behaving.
What we will not do
We will not promise a return, and we will not pick a target rate that flatters the plan. The child education calculator shows its workings, and if a comfortable monthly figure only reaches the goal at an implausible rate of return, we will say so rather than quietly raising the assumption.
What should you prepare for this conversation?
Note the child’s current age, the likely year education spending will begin, a present-day cost estimate and any savings already set aside. Include a range where the course or location is uncertain; the estimate should reflect that uncertainty.
Understand a monthly investment approach. See how the first meeting works and how Harbla Finserv is paid before booking.
Updated 10 September 2026 · Contact Pardeep Yadav
Common questions
How early should we start?
Earlier helps more than larger. A smaller amount invested over fifteen years generally does more work than a larger one over five, because compounding needs time rather than size. If your child is already in secondary school, the plan usually leans more on contribution and less on return.
What education inflation rate do you assume?
We state the assumption on the page rather than hiding it, and we run the number at more than one rate so you can see how sensitive the answer is. Education costs have historically outpaced general inflation, so using headline CPI understates the target.
Is this only for professional courses?
No. The same arithmetic works for any dated goal with a known cost, which is why the calculator behind it is also used for weddings and for sabbaticals.
Explore before you decide
Try a related calculator or explore another assessment.
Talk it through.
Ask about suitability, costs or the next steps for your situation. Leave your name and number to discuss this topic; you do not need to choose a product to get in touch.
Not sure what to ask? Start with what you want to achieve and when you might need the money. Read how we are paid before deciding.