I’ve Been Building My Niece’s College Fund for Years—What She Said in Her Prom Speech Made Me Regret Every Penny

I never saved for my niece Phoebe’s college fund for recognition. Just quiet deposits over the years—birthday money, tax returns, work bonuses.   It wasn’t a fortune, but it meant something. Because Phoebe meant something. Sweet, smart, and quietly creative, she never asked for much. Her mother, my sister Audrey, was the opposite—chaotic, often manipulative,…