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Financial Life Lessons Every Parent Should Teach Their Children

February 7th, 2017 Posted in kids and money, teaching children about money
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People say that knowledge is power, but what if you don’t posses the knowledge you need to succeed? The unfortunate answer is that you won’t succeed, at least not to the level that you desire. If that is a scary thought, it gets even scarier when you apply it to your children. Every parent wants their kids to lead a happy and prosperous life, so every parent needs to impart wisdom along the way. There are some things that they don’t teach at school, and that is where you step in and fill in the gaps. Finance is probably the best example, which is why you’ll find the best financial tips to teach your kids below.

Wait For The Right Moment

Kids are impulsive and want everything as soon as possible. Hell, there are a lot of adults that fit into that category too. But, there is a problem with this way of thinking: it leads you to make financial mistakes. Have you ever wondered why some people are in mountains of debt? The easy answer is that they have bitten off more than they can chew. Of course, everyone wants nice things like a car or a house, but they shouldn’t come at the expense of a family’s future. The sooner children learn they have to wait, the better the decisions they will make with in the future.

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Don’t Be Scared Of Big Decisions

The big decisions aren’t ones to fear; they are ones to cherish. The great thing about making big decisions is that they often have the biggest rewards. Take buying a house as an example. To buy one, most people need to take out a mortgage. Since the crash in 2008, the term mortgage isn’t one that fills people with trust. In fact, lots of people think that a mortgage is a bad idea. The truth is that a mortgage is essential as long as you understand it inside and out. Nowadays, that is a lot easier to do when you go online at CalMtg.com and other mortgage professionals. With the right amount of patience and confidence, your children’s finances will never be in doubt.

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Save, Save, And Save Some More

Okay, so it isn’t a great time to save especially now interest rates are lower than before. Still, there will come a time when they will rise, and your children will want to take advantage. Although spending is more fun, saving is the practical option. It is the financial tip that will ensure your kids will always have money for a rainy day. Excuse the cliché, but it is true. Parents can’t always bail their kids out when they are in too deep, and kids need to learn this important life lesson. Putting away a little every month is a great way to create a buffer, and if it doesn’t come in handy they can spend it on a holiday.

The above is only a small glimpse into the big bad world of finance. Even so, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way.

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Financial Errors Which Will Affect Your Kid’s Future!

January 26th, 2017 Posted in kids and money, Money Tips
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It’s so important that we teach kids about the importance of finance as they are growing up. That way, we can feel assured they will go on to have debt-free lives in the future. And our children tend to follow in our footsteps, so we need to be good role models for them. As well as ensuring we leave enough money for them to have great lives, even when we aren’t around anymore. Therefore, don’t make these financial errors which will affect your kid’s future!

Spending too much of your savings

Before you take money out of your savings account, you need to think carefully about whether it’s the right decision. After all, its money which could be going towards your child’s future. And you don’t want to look back and regret wasting money on meaningless things. After all, it’s so easy to keep taking money out of this account when you need to buy things for your family. But for the sake of your kid’s future, only spend savings if you really need to. Otherwise, rely on your current account and keep your savings safe for the future.

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Taking on a too high mortgage

We often can get swept up in the moment when looking at a great house. And rather than thinking about the costs, we consider how perfect it will be for our family. But you don’t want to end up wishing down the line that you never bought the house as the mortgage repayments are too large. In fact, you might get in a position where you think ‘I need to sell my house fast’. After all, it’s so easy to get into debt if you miss a couple of repayments and then you might end up in the position of getting the house taken off you. And then your child’s future will be in jeopardy. Therefore, always think carefully before taking on a large mortgage. Get financial advice first to ensure you are making a wise decision when buying property.

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Not getting life insurance

A lot of people don’t get life insurance. They think they won’t need it as they are young, and the payments are too large. But if something happened to you, and you have no life insurance cover, your children might end up with little money for their future. After all, most life insurance plans will pay out a significant sum to you family if something unexpected happened to you. And that money will help your kids to continue having a good life. Therefore, you need to ensure you are covered for the sake of your child’s future. And for the sake of your kids, make sure you get a will too. After all, this will ensure your wealth and estate end up in the right hands after your passing. And as we said before, without one, your inheritance might not match your personal preference. Therefore, get this sorted at a solicitors as soon as possible.

And make sure you set up an account for your kid sooner rather than later. You can put money in there which they can use when they are old enough to put towards things like college and their first home!

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Teaching Children to Use Technology in Potential Future Businesses

January 25th, 2017 Posted in kids and money, teaching children about money, teaching kids about money
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King Arthur had the sword of Excalibur; Harry Potter had the sword of Gryffindor; and Bilbo Baggins had Sting. All three of these fictional characters needed their fictional weapons in order to become the heroes of their respective stories; and both you and your children can become the hero of your own stories by using the weapon at your disposal: modern day technology. If you’ve found yourself, of late, having a bit of a financial nightmare with your business, then fear no more because you can turn it into a dream; and if you want to teach your children about how to never get into such a situation: here are just a few technology services and tips that you can wield in order to save your business’s story from finishing before it’s even had the chance to reach it’s full potential, and maybe even pass on to your children to make them want to start their own.

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First of all, merchant services are pivota. A type of bank account that allows businesses to accept payments in multiple ways (typically debit or credit cards). With the pace of change in the UK payment market, for example, showing that over the past five years the debit card has proved itself as not only being the generally preferred method of payment in regards to frequency, but also the one that holds the most value in terms of total amount, it is paramount that if you haven’t done already, you utilise such a service. Not only will it save you from making those dreaded trips to the bank for bags of change, but it may save and even bring you custom. For example, a prospective customer may automatically think that you have technology driven payment facilities, such as a credit card reader, and subsequently not think to bring any notes or spare shrapnel with them. If they were to do so and then turn up at your till to find that they in fact couldn’t pay for their chosen products in one foul swoop of their debit card they may become annoyed, leave and never return to your business: losing you both a potential customer in the future and also their custom now.

Secondly, using electronic receipts or invoices is both easy to do and environmentally friendly. Most importantly for you, however: they help your business save money. By having electronic receipts instead of physical, paper ones you can completely cut out the use of any printing facilities, meaning either you can buy more paper for other things, or get rid of it altogether. Also, quite sneakily but not illegally, you obtain instant access to a prospective customer’s email address of which you can contact in the future if ever you offer a product that they may be interested in. Here are five apps that help you with the managing of the receipts.

So whether it’s you that needs the help with your dream, or you wanting to make sure that your children’s business dreams can come true, make sure to remember that technology is our friend!

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Teaching Teens The Financial Value Of Safer Driving

January 6th, 2017 Posted in kids and money
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Teens are natural risk takers and believe they will live forever – a nasty combination when they start learning to drive. They will also start to forget all the valuable lessons you have taught them about finances in the past  – temporarily, at least.

The result is a headstrong child driving in a lethal weapon, who knows that mom or pop will bail them out if they have a crash. And a young adult who doesn’t care about the fact you are worried about their safety.

So, how can concerned parents teach their kids about the value of driving safely – at all times? As I mentioned above, their innate confidence means they will think you are overly concerned. After all, they can drive perfectly well – the license they have in their wallet or clutch proves it, right?

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Forget about safety

First and foremost, forget about your safety concerns. Try and think back to when you were a teen. How many times did you listen to your parents when you went out for a night? What did you do when they told you to be careful or watch how much you drank? Or, when they asked you to make sure you drove slowly? It will go through one ear and straight out the other. You need a different tactic, and one that they know will impact them – money.

Talk about insurance

It’s OK to pay for your kid’s first car, and all the costs that go with it. But one tactic that might work for you is to make sure that your teen is aware they will foot the bill for any insurance increases. Now, as an adult with years of experience of driving a car, you might not remember how costly that can be. Teen auto insurance is extortionate enough as it is, but it skyrockets even further if they are involved in a crash. And a quick search online for an auto insurance comparison service will show them exactly what that will mean. They could be facing extra payments of over $100 or more every month.

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Talk about the impact of an accident

While your teen will care little for their own safety, they will care if it impacts on your family. So, let them know how much it will cost to hire a personal injury attorney in the event they have a crash. Point out that you might have to say goodbye to your family vacation, as you will need to take time off work to look after them in their hour of need. It’s even worth showing them precisely how much it costs to treat an accident at a hospital, including the ambulance fees, charges for X-rays and scans, and the price for staying overnight in bed. Even a teen from a wealthy background will wince at those figures!

Conclusion

Teens don’t go out with the express intent of causing trouble on the roads; it’s just the way their brains are wired. And their wild nature means no harm to anyone else; it’s just that they think they are superhuman. But with a little education in the right areas, you will be able to – hopefully – encourage your child to learn the financial implications of having a crash in a car.

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Early Learning: How to Teach Important Business Concepts to Your Child

January 3rd, 2017 Posted in financial education, kids and money, learning about money
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It can be difficult trying to teach our children how business works, but it’s a necessary eye-opening experience that your child needs to understand. It will help them make decisions in the future, and they’ll learn to appreciate how the economy works which can be a great boon to their learning ability in the future.

Here are some of the most important concepts to teach your child, and examples of fun activities to help them understand it. These shouldn’t be aimed at children who are too young. Ideally, you’ll want your child to have a basic understand of maths first because there are a lot of numbers involved in business. You also want to have a couple of toys or video games laying around to use as “products” to demonstrate these concepts.

You’ll also need some sticky labels (that can easily be removed) and a pencil, better yet some colored pencils and paper to write things down.

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Supply and Demand

To teach your child this simple concept, bring out a bunch of their favourite toys or video games and grab a couple they don’t use anymore or don’t want. Set them out like a shop, and then give your child some fake money (such as monopoly money) and offer them to your child. Set a price for each one, making sure that your child’s favourite toys are more expensive, then offer to “sell” them back to your child.

To teach them supply and demand, tell your child that their favourite toy is in high demand and that the price has increased from what the label says. Then, tell them that their other toys are cheaper because they aren’t in demand. They’ll start to understand that products that are highly sought after will cost more because they are in demand, but because there isn’t much demand for their other toys, your child can “buy” them back from you for a cheaper price.

Trading

You can teach your child to learn forex trading which will give them an insight into the trading industry and also how foreign currencies interact with home currencies. A simple way to do this is to use online programs and trial accounts. If those programs are too advanced for your child, then a simpler method is to set out a bunch of toys or games that they like to play, much like the supply and demand example. Play a simple game of trading with them. The objective is to tie in supply and demand with the toys that you have set out.

Give your child a couple of toys and set values on them. Next, tell your child which toys are in high demand (use your imagination here!) and give them reasons. For example, perhaps the latest Pokemon game came out and, as a result, Pokemon toys that your child owns have gone “up” in value, so they can be sold back to you for more money because they are now high in demand. Teach them to read how the market is going so they can buy and sell products to gain profits.

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