Teens and Financial Literacy

Did your teenager decide to get a summer job?

What are they doing with the money they are earning?

One of the most important skills for an adult to have in order to successfully manage her life and achieve independence is a strong grasp of how to effectively save and manage money. Unfortunately, this is also a skill that many parents find difficult to pass along. In the interest of helping your children grow into financially independent adults that know how to spend money responsibly, it’s essential that you begin instilling these skills at a young age.

These hints can help you build the foundation for money saving habits, helping to ensure that your kids gain the skills they need to see them into the future.

Set Savings Goals
It’s tempting to give in to kids’ requests for big-ticket items, but you’re running the risk of instilling a sense of entitlement and passing up a valuable opportunity to foster strong money management skills by giving in to their whims. Instead of rushing out to make a pricey purchase, talk to your child about ways that he can save the money himself and then help him to reach that goal. Many kids operate best when they have a tangible end goal, rather than a vague idea of saving money “for a rainy day.” This also helps kids to understand the importance of not buying things they can’t afford, which can lead to dangerous credit over-extension later in life.

Give Kids a Structured Allowance
Giving kids an allowance is a time-honored tradition, but you can help your kids learn valuable money saving skills by insisting that a certain portion of their allowance be saved, while the rest is available for spending. When the habit of automatically setting some money aside is established early, the concept of saving as an adult isn’t so difficult to wrestle with. This also simulates the experience of paying bills and managing expenses, making that experience a less traumatic one than it would be if those lessons were learned in young adulthood.

Use Cash When Kids are Small
Older kids may love watching the numbers in a bank statement climb, but little ones will respond better to concrete representations of their amassed wealth. Use transparent jars as banks, and actively try to generate excitement as those jars are filled with cash. Depositing the lump sum into a savings account later will help to teach account management, but watching their stash physically grow will be more exciting when your children are too young to adequately grasp the concept of a bank balance.

Take Advantage of Everyday Teaching Opportunities
From talking about big sales to discussing unit price, there are a plethora of opportunities in everyday life that present themselves for the teaching of savings skills. Talking to kids about living frugally and setting money aside is easier when you’re discussing the concept you’re demonstrating. Remember, kids learn more about the world from observing their parents and other trusted adults than most people realize. Discussing how much things cost can also give kids a more realistic view of money as a tangible object in finite supply.

Open Savings Accounts With Older Kids
While younger children will respond best to watching their money physically grow, older kids need to learn the essential skills that are required to successfully maintain a balance in their bank account. Take your child to the bank and discuss the options for savings accounts while he’s there to listen. Walk him through the basics, and make sure that he understands that you’re there to help him. You may be surprised at the insightful questions he asks about account management.

Give Kids Independence Over Their Spending Decisions
In order to truly learn about financial responsibility, kids need to have some measure of independence over their savings. This means that you’ll have to allow him to make a mistake or two in order to learn from them. Don’t berate him for mistakes or jump to bail him out of the mess. Instead, take the time to talk about what went wrong and how to fix the situation responsibly. Remember that every mistake is a learning experience for your child, especially when it comes to money management.

Source: Go Nannies

Teens 5 Step Save/Spend Plan: Teaching Finance Early

Today's economy is not a secret, it is a screaming concern among parents, senior citizens and most people in our country.

Does your teenager understand the seriousness of learning how to save, spend and budget money?

The 5-Step Save/Spend Plan by The Mint is a great place to start.

How much of your income should you stash away in savings? You may think: I'll just put money into savings whenever I don't spend it. And how often do you think that will happen? Remember to pay yourself first.

Step 1: Where to begin? Start by pledging to come up with a plan and to stick to it. Next, try out the Money Diary in the Tracking Section. It will help you figure out how much money you have coming in each month and how you are spending your money. Then work out how much you want to spend on everyday items. If you're spending more than the limit, think about where you can cut back.
Step 2: What money do you have coming in? Depending on your age and life at the moment, this may change from month to month. Your allowance may be set, but the income you get from baby-sitting or odd jobs may change a lot. Start with what is average or what you can count on.
Step 3: How much would you like to save? Divide that money into different savings categories: saving for everyday expenses, short-term saving for emergencies, long-term saving for college, and longer-term saving for the future. You may want to set aside money to give to a charity. Several piggy banks or envelopes for your cash may help you keep your money separate. It may make sense to keep a stash of cash for everyday expenses in your bedroom. The rest should be kept in a savings account so you can earn interest.
Do you have a goal in mind, like saving for a car or new touring bike? Check out the Saving Calculator. It will calculate how long it takes to save an amount of money. The calculator can also tell you how much money you need to save each month to reach a goal in a certain time period.
Step 4: Put it in writing. Writing your plan in your money diary gives it more power. Also by keeping a money diary, you'll be able to see how much money you have coming in, how much money you spend, where it all goes, and how much money you save each week or each month. Keep notes to yourself that compare your savings account balance with your savings goals. Keep it in your Money Diary.
You might not like these new boundaries on your spending. In fact, you may think that you don't have enough spending money. Everybody feels that way. We all have a limited amount of money. Now that you're getting older, you are learning that you have to make choices when it comes to money. It is easy to say, “I just need more of it!” You have to manage your money – so you can get the most out of the dollars you have. Ready to learn more? Learn how to live on a budget.
Step 5: Adjust. If your plan isn't working, you can always make changes. But be honest with yourself about why the plan doesn't work before you change it. What's wrong? Maybe your numbers weren't realistic, and you have to be more practical. On the other hand, maybe the numbers are right, but you're having a hard time sticking to them. Maybe you have to change your habits to make it work.

By taking a hard look at what you do with your money, you can begin to set some limits and shift money around between spending and saving – that's called managing your money.

Every penny counts!


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