Defining your savings goals is the first thing to do before you invest, especially when that investment will have an impact on your child's future. It is after-all your child's future that you are investing in--and school finance cannot be avoided, as babies will grow into adults who need to be given the best opportunities we can offer as parents.

The best advice that any parent can get is to start saving early. College tuition fees can cause a strain on your family's budget and lifestyle. You need to have a goal to keep you motivated to save. And what better motivation is there than knowing that the money you save can help finance your child's education.

Normally the best time to start saving for your child's finance towards college tuition is at birth. If, however, you have not started, then the time to start saving is now. It is never too late to start saving.

The sooner you start saving, the more time there'll be for compound interest to build up into a nice college fund for your child.

You need to decide the amount you intend to save by the time that your child reaches college age. There are many options available for you to choose from when it comes to school finance. You could choose a specific dollar amount. This means that you'll need to calculate the projected cost of public college tuition by the time your child is ready for college.

The other commonly used method, which many parents prefer, involves devoting a fixed percentage of income to their child's future college costs. The idea is this: whatever you do, you have to have a defined goal. You should save as much as you can, whether it is a large amount, like several hundred dollars a month or a more modest amount, such as $25 to $50 each month.

A college education is an investment in the future of your child. If you truly want to see your child succeed, as all parents do, what could possibly be a better investment?