English Kindergarten vs. US Stocks: Which Investment is Best for Your Child’s Future?

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A corporate employee caught between splurging on an English preschool and investing in U.S. stocks for his toddler has sparked a debate online.

On the 17th, a parent of a 22-month-old daughter posted on the workplace community Blind after other daycare parents brought up English preschools. He said the couple is at odds over how to allocate household income and manage their savings.

The poster is a fifth-year employee at a large company, earning 100 million KRW pre-tax (about $75,000). His wife works an office job at a public corporation and makes in the mid-40 million KRW range (around 45 million KRW, about $33,750). Despite those earnings, a big portion of their budget goes to fixed costs and mandatory savings.

They carry a monthly mortgage payment of 2 million KRW (about $1,500), and he consistently maxes out his pension savings, IRP, and ISA contributions each year, balancing retirement planning with building their assets.

One notable detail: he’s been building a plan to gift U.S. stocks to his daughter. He opened an account when she was born and has been buying ETFs that track U.S. index funds through monthly contributions.

He plans to keep investing until his daughter marries, but he worries that the several million KRW per month an English preschool can cost (roughly $1,500–$3,750) might derail that long-term plan.

He wrote that he’d rather buy U.S. stocks for her than pay for an English preschool, but his wife remains undecided — and he’s frustrated.

Readers were sharply divided. Supporters of English preschools argued that the critical window for language acquisition won’t come back and noted that in more remote areas, limited infrastructure can make an English preschool the only realistic option, emphasizing the value of early language education.

Opponents countered that even with high parental incomes, English preschools can be excessive once you factor in retirement planning and loan repayments. They argued that inheriting a sizable stock portfolio as an adult would likely be far more valuable than a modest boost in English fluency, lending support to the poster’s investment approach.

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