The Nest Egg #5: Win your league, fund their future
Personalized fantasy football advice from Matthew Berry, plus the real cost of college and youth sports.
Por el equipo de UNest · 7 min de lectura
Hi there,
Football season kicks off next week, which means Sundays get loud, the multi-streams are going, and the trash talk starts before anyone has scored. For those of you drafting your fantasy teams we brought a deal to go with it!
Here is what we have for you this week:
The real monthly number behind a college degree, a deal from our partner Fantasy Life, and what youth sports actually costs a family.
Let's get into it! — Mitch, from The Nest Egg team
💡 FOR PARENTS
The backpack is financed. The future isn't.
45% of households plan to use buy now, pay later for back-to-school purchases this year, up from 39% in 2025.
We get it. Splitting shoes into four payments makes a hard month easier, and the bummer is those shoes won't fit by spring anyway. But there's another number, the one that shapes the next eighteen years, and most of us have never sat down and run it.
$636
per month, starting at birth, to fully fund an in-state degree
$1,375
per month, starting at age 10, for the same goal
Source: Family Advisor Match, 529 College Savings Benchmarks by Age, 2026
The gap between those two numbers isn't discipline. It's time. The earlier you start contributing, the longer your money has to compound, and time is the one advantage you can't buy back later. Keep up a consistent contribution and let those years do the heavy lifting.
What you set aside builds your child's future.
📰 Read: what families are paying in 2026 →
📰 Read: savings benchmarks by age →
Any contribution makes a difference, you just have to start. 👇
Set up a recurring contribution
Buy now, pay later figures: Omnisend 2026 back-to-school survey, as reported by Stacker, August 2026. Monthly savings figures: Family Advisor Match, 529 College Savings Benchmarks by Age, 2026, which assumes a 7% average annual return and 4.5% annual tuition inflation against 2025-26 College Board in-state public costs. These are hypothetical projections for illustration only, not a promise of results. Actual returns vary, may be negative, and are not guaranteed. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This is not investment, tax, or legal advice.
🏈 FROM OUR PARTNER
Matthew Berry Wants to Help You Win Your League 🏆
Fantasy Life, founded by the godfather of fantasy football, Matthew Berry, builds fantasy football tools that customize to your exact league's scoring settings. As they like to say, your league is unique, so your advice should be too.
📊
Personalized rankings from Berry and the team of experts, synced to your league
🏆
Unlimited mock drafts in minutes with realistic simulations so you're ready for any draft spot
⚒️
In-season start/sit, trade, and waiver tools personalized to your leagues
👇
UNEST25
👆 Copy the code 👆
I'm no expert in my fantasy league, I've never even made the finals. So, you know I'm going to take advantage of this deal so I don't have to suffer my league's punishment this year.
— Mitch, from The Nest Egg team
Offer provided by Fantasy Life and subject to its terms, availability, and expiration. Discount applies with code UNEST25 at checkout on 12 months of any FantasyLife+ tier; $74.99 reflects 25% off the $99.99 Tier 2 annual price. Product and pricing claims are Fantasy Life's own and have not been independently verified by UNest. Fantasy Life is a UNest partner; transactions are with Fantasy Life, not with UNest, and are not investment products or advisory services.
🎙 STRAIGHT FROM MATTHEW
Hear from Matthew Berry himself.
The godfather of fantasy football has a few words about UNest.
FOLLOW MATTHEW
Paid partnership: Matthew Berry is affiliated with Fantasy Life, a paid UNest partner, and was compensated in connection with this promotion. Compensation creates a financial incentive and a potential conflict of interest that may influence the content of his statements. His views are his own, are not representative of the experience of all UNest clients, and are not indicative of future performance. Nothing here is investment, tax, or legal advice.
📈 THE REAL COST
Nobody warns you that the bill grows with the kid.
PRIMARY SPORT
$1,016
▲ 46%
a year, per child,
vs. 2019
ALL THEIR SPORTS
~$1,500
A YEAR
once you add
their other teams
FIVE-YEAR CLIMB
Basketball ▲ 105%
Soccer ▲ 69%
Baseball ▲ 68%
2024 SURVEY
(ASPEN INSTITUTE)
The average family spent $1,016 on one child's primary sport in 2024, up 46% in five years. That is twice the rate of inflation over the same period. Add the child's other teams and the total lands near $1,500 a year.
And the curve is steeper than the average suggests, as the sport-by-sport climb shows. Registration is the small part. Travel, lodging, camps, and private instruction are what stack up as kids get older and the schedule gets longer.
What this means: The season in front of you is the cheapest one you will pay for. Budget for the seasons after it, and set aside something monthly now, while the number is still small.
📰 Read: what families spend on youth sports →
EARN IT BACK
The jersey, the cleats, the cold-weather gear. A few of our rewards partners put a percentage of what you spend straight into your child's account, so the sideline shopping list does double duty.
Fanatics 4% invested
Columbia Sportswear 2.5% invested
Adidas 1% invested
Spending figures: The Aspen Institute's Project Play National Youth Sports Parent Survey, conducted with Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University, a nationally representative survey of 1,848 youth sports parents fielded November-December 2024 and published March 2025. All figures are national averages and will not reflect any individual family; reported spending in that survey ranged from nothing to nearly $25,000. Rewards rates shown reflect the UNest rewards catalog as of September 5, 2026, are set by each partner, and are subject to change. Rewards are paid into the child's UNest account and are not investment returns. Nothing here is investment, tax, or legal advice.
🗳 QUICK POLL
LAST POLL RESULTS
“Where do you want to go for your next family trip?”
A national park or a road trip won it. There are so many good places to explore and there's nothing quite like doing it with your family. And a family truly bonds when they listen to the same songs on repeat for six hours.
👇 VOTE THIS WEEK
Has a relative ever asked you what to get your kid?
Every birthday
Once in a while
They just buy toys
Never
Tap to vote — results in next week's issue.
Earn $20 for every friend
who invests
When a friend signs up and completes 3 consecutive monthly deposits, you get $20.
💬 FEEDBACK
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