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Learn It To Earn It! Money Management For All Ages

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flickr

It is astounding that with the amount of focus that we place on money, as a society, that money management is not taught in all schools. When we look back on our youth, we never thought of money as important at all. In my 30’s I look back at just ten years ago and didn’t view money as all that important! As the magical overdraft would help me get my cash from the machine and the credit card as free money. In hindsight, this was a bad attitude to have. As I now have mounting debt that I could do without. The pressure to do more grown up things becomes more apparent. Buying a house, planning a wedding, the increase in fuel costs. These are all things that are tagged with the notion of being an adult. The shock of money responsibility just seemed to be slammed down in front of you as soon as you left university or gained full-time employment. So is there a way to help bridge the gap between a child and adult when it comes to money management?

Toddlers
When it comes to teaching toddlers the value of money, the best approach is to use a visual stimulus. The typical method is to use a piggy bank, which is an excellent idea in theory, but the child can’t see the money amounting. So the fruits of their labors go unnoticed. Seeing a jar fill up with coins and talking to them about how much more they’ve got than yesterday is a nice way to reinforce the idea of saving.

Young Children (8 and over)
The best method for young children and tweens is to let them make decisions about their choices in terms of what to buy. For example, if they wanted two items but can only afford to buy one, they need to make the decision. If they are unhappy with the outcome, then they have made their bed and must lie in it.

They also need to learn at this age that money is earned, not just given out. A simple method of teaching this is to reward them for doing household chores. Based on the task, you can give them more or less money. That way, the concept of pay grades is also introduced.

financial-fairy-tales-sack-of-money

image from Flickr.com

Teenagers
If you have been able to reinforce some of the previous values at certain stages of their life, then helping them get a bank account is the next logical step. Having their own bank account that they can withdraw money from and are solely responsible for will teach them how to manage their money. If your child hasn’t got a bank account yet, you can apply for new bank account here now. And, as a consequence, if they run out of financial resources, they would need to get a job. That marks their first foray into adulthood.

All ages have their own attitude towards money. So in teaching them the value of it on a level that they can understand, whether by visual stimulus or making sure they know the repercussions of overspending, it will go a long way to instilling the values and responsibility of money management.

Kerching! Getting It Right When Teaching Your Kids Financial Responsibility

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Pixabay

One of the most important things you can teach your kids is financial responsibility. If you inform them of the basics, then you can be safe in the knowledge that they won’t squander everything they have once they move out. Teaching them this important life lesson at an early age will also get them into some good habits, such as saving and budgeting.

But how exactly do you teach your kids financial responsibility? Most of it comes from experience. However, these are some of the things that you can try and instil in them from an early age.

Reward Hard Work

It is important for children to know that the harder they work, the more they can earn. So next time your children spend a couple of hours doing some chores, consider increasing their pocket money accordingly. However, you shouldn’t pay them for all the chores you do. This can help to teach them that some tasks are just part of growing up. The tasks that go above and beyond should be rewarded. And you should remind them that if they go above and beyond in their career, they will reap the benefits.

Encourage Them To Save

Encouraging your kids to save their money from an early age can help them get into good habits for the future. If you do give them weekly pocket money, remind them that it is important not to save it all at once. If they save it in their bank, they can save up for something that they have always wanted. When they are saving, you should also let them know that buying things

this way is a lot safer than taking out unsecured loans. Make sure that older children know that second charge loans are the safer option if they ever run out of savings.

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Pixabay

Get Them Involved With Budgeting

Whenever you sit down to do your monthly or weekly budget, try and get your children to join you. They can then see just how much work goes into planning the family’s money. Give them a chance to make their own suggestions of how you should spend the money. It is also a good idea to take them with you to the supermarket so they can see the money in action. Tell them about coupons and comparing brand prices can help them to save a whole load of money!

Let Them Make Mistakes

At first, your kids might make some mistakes with their own money. They could overspend their pocket money and might end up annoyed when they have none left! You should leave them to make these mistakes and not bail them out. Otherwise, they will never learn the importance of being sensible with their money. After making the same mistakes a few times, they will certainly learn from their mistakes!

You might be wary about leaving your children in charge of their own pocket money at first. But it will certainly pay off, and they will end up being extremely responsible with their finances!

The Fascinating History of The British Pound

The British Pound is the oldest currency in use today. Originally forged from pure silver, (hence the name Stirling) it has a fascinating history… From its birth in 760, the Pound has shaped the way we in the UK live our lives. Not only has it improved our opportunities to travel, it is the 4th most traded currency and is still established as one of the most valuable currencies in the world.

History of the Pound Infographic from Sainsburys Bank

The 7 Money Mistakes That Parents Make

parent's money mistakesWhen it comes to teaching your children about money, there is no single right way. There are, however, things you can do to guide them along a path and empower them to learn good financial habits. Below are 7 common mistakes that parents make when teaching good financial skills and habits to their children.

Money Mistake 1 – Pocket Money.
A danger with automatically giving pocket money is that it can create an entitlement mentality.

A young person having money of their own however is an important rite of passage and can form the basis of excellent financial education in budgeting, saving and spending.

One of my favourite money experts, Loral Langemeier is emphatic on the subject:
“NEVER PAY YOUR KIDS AN ALLOWANCE”
She argues that the best investment you can give your child is to teach them the value of entrepreneurship and the way that every economy in the world works. So instead of paying pocket money every week, design exercises and activities that are truly focused on basic finance.
Martin Lewis founder of Money Saving Expert is a fan of both pocket money and financial education – and he recommends encouraging children to work for their financial rewards, in order to embed a principle that will serve them well throughout life.

Money Mistake 2 – Not Talking About Money
Stay silent about money and you risk leaving your children open to the pitches of TV adverts and peer pressure.
Parents are the main source of money information for children, but 74% of parents are reluctant to discuss family finances with their kids, according to the 2014 T. Rowe Price Parents, Kids, and Money Survey.
Even if money is tight, don’t stress about it in silence.
When parents are worried about money but are not communicating their financial situation, children pick up on the anxiety and associate it broadly with finances. Rather than learning money lessons from their parent’s mistakes or situation, children instead learn that money is ‘stressful’ and ‘bad’.

Money Mistake 3 – Magical Credit Cards
Studies have shown that people spend 30% more when they use cards instead of cash. When you’re using plastic, it’s easier to ignore how much money you’re really burning through.
Credit cards not only wreak havoc on our budget, but also set a bad example for our children. Kids seeing cards being swiped and in the child’s eyes, you haven’t exchanged anything for your purchases.
Children need to understand that when we buy something, the money we’ve spent is actually gone. There are alternatives; using cash everyday instead will give your child a more realistic picture of how money works. Or when you spend using a card take some time to explain that that creates either a bill, which has to be paid, or is taking the money from your bank account as in the case of a debit card.

Money Mistake 4 – Setting a Bad Example
How can we expect our children to save money for the future when we don’t do it ourselves?
It’s very important that not only is saving a habit but a highly visible one.
This can include a savings jar prominent in the home, labelled with the holiday, event or purpose that it’s for. If your kids at whatever age see you putting your spare change in the jar on a regular basis they may get the bug and start saving themselves.

Money Mistake 5 – Saying Yes for an Easy Life
Many parents are actively teaching their kids about money – but their children are learning all the wrong lessons.
David Bach author of the Automatic Millionaire believes that the biggest mistakes that parents make is not saying ‘no’.
“I will go to someone’s home that is $30,000 in debt and their children have piles and piles of toys. This creates children who don’t know how to hear the word ‘no’ and they become adults who want instant gratification and live beyond their means. Plus, they miss crucial lessons like budgeting, prioritising desires and saving for something valuable”.
Never forget your great influence as a parent.

Money Mistake 6 – Not letting them fail
How often do we rescue our kids when they make a financial blunder? No-one wants to see their child fall down, literally or metaphorically but by always bailing them out we rob them of the chance to learn from their mistakes.
Fast forward to the teenage years and you may become accustomed to paying off mobile phone bills, covering car insurance or in one case I heard of re-mortgaging your home to pay off a child’s payday loan debts.

Money Mistake 7 – Mind your Language
Children make many requests every day. Parents will often deflect another purchase request by saying “I don’t have enough money on me” or “we can’t afford that”.
The language used to explain this to a child is very important.
An honest dialogue with positive language will get you positive results. Explaining why you’re not making the purchase gets kids thinking about prioritising their wants and teaches them to be more aware shoppers in general.
Rather than saying we can’t afford it try how can we afford it? This gets the young person thinking about ways in which they can take charge of the situation rather than being a victim of circumstance.

This article is an extract from Daniel Britton’s book The “7 Money Mistakes That Parents Make”  available from Amazon.com

Why Profits Are Better Than Wages

Why Profits Are Better Than Wages by Jim Rohn

jim-rohnI love this brief but inspiring message from Jim Rohn and thought I would post it to inspire parents to share with their kids.

Please feel free to leave your comments below or via Facebook.

My mentor, when I was 25 years old, dropped a phrase on me that changed my life forever. He said, “Profits are better than wages. Wages will make you a living—profits can make you a fortune.” You know it is a bit difficult to get rich on wages, but anybody can get rich on profits. Profits change your whole attitude, even if you start part-time.

It can be a landscape business in the summer or hanging Christmas lights in the winter. It can be training, consulting or tutoring. It can be your hobby of painting, writing, crafts, woodworking, computers or cooking. But once you start investing even part-time effort into your own business, you will find how much more exciting it is to get up in the morning and go to work on your fortune, even if you’re only spending a few hours a week doing it.

How empowering it is to be able to go to work on your fortune every day rather than going to work solely to pay the rent. When you parcel out part of your time to make your fortune, your whole attitude changes—your spirit changes.

It is in your voice. It is in your face. It is in your gestures. And then you can say, “I am now working full-time on my job and part-time on my fortune because I found a way to make profits.” Wow!