How does one run a legitimate business, pay appropriate business taxes, and come out with a zero sum to report on my personal 1040 and somehow protect the properties from being considered assets to be sold for tuition?

If you take out a mortgage and use the proceeds to pay for your kid's tuition (purpose of funds is household use) then it is regulated by the SAFE act and must meet residential guidelines.Not the case in MA.

I don't think FB is making their millions off of the Mastery tuitions.

I got that in 2009 but wish I would have used those tuition dollars to buy property, instead... or AAPL stock.

- If you pay 50K for more education (say, 25K tuition, and 25K opportunity cost of lost income), how long will it take to recoup that 50K?

Undergrad population is 37K or so and out of state tuition is $30K or so, so those are some decent numbers in terms of welcoming rich folks to town, along with all the additional money injected into the community by rich kids.

Because I got a scholarship for school, I didn't have to use the $50,000 my parents had saved for my tuition.

For example, the neighborhood I live in has horrible public schools and we pay a hidden tax called private school tuition.

The tuition you pay for her incurs no tax liability but you don't want to lose the real estate to do that. 

Maybe we can point you to threads (on BP) or books to give you a basis of information and then you could put that "tuition" money to work into a deal and then REALLY learn something.