I've saved $100,000 for each of my 2 children for college. Here's how I did it and what I could've done differently.

Shannon Liu Shair.

Courtesy of Shannon Liu Shair

• Shannon Liu Shair and her husband started saving for college for their children when they were born.
• She puts money into 529 plans and custodial Roth IRAs for both of them.
• The 529 plans have around $100,000 each, and she plans to grow them to $200,000 by college time.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shannon Liu Shair, a 38-year-old estate planning attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.