When I used to lead retirement seminars, I was surprised by how often a couple nearing retirement would tell me that they had a child in high school and they wanted to work toward saving for that child’s education. They would ask me: “Should we wait to focus on retirement savings until our child’s education is funded?” My answer was always, “It depends — let’s take a closer look at your situation.” Most often, after taking a look at the numbers, the answer was a resounding “no.” As the adage says, “Your child can borrow for their education, but you can’t borrow to pay for your retirement.”