'College planning: Why you must start now (The Shreveport Times) Whether your child is age 6 or 16, college will arrive sooner than you think. Advance planning can make that day the jubilant threshold to freedom it should be. Without advance planning, your stress level during senior celebration may be intense as you scramble to make quick decisions that will impact your retirement, your lifestyle, and how the amount of debt your child will take into the world ...