If Ken Clark, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paying for College" (Alpha, $18.95), could reduce that complex task to one simple rule, it would be this: "Plan on putting away $75 per kid per month from the day they're born, and that will get you four years at a state school."

Clark, a certified financial planner, realizes it doesn't factor in this reality, among others: "College planning is one of the ultimate procrastination items. We're so optimistic about our ability to deal with it later. We don't realize till we get there how brutal it's going to be."