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Why teaching your children responsible finance is important

There will come a time when you will sit your children down and tell them how the world works. You care deeply about them, so you’ll teach them how to take care of themselves financially. You may have gone through points in your life when you have had to be frugal and times when you have invested. To set them up with the best knowledge, advice and respect for money, you will need a little help.

Why teaching your children responsible finance is important- kids using a laptop image

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Teach them, don’t lecture them.

Start them off young. You may find lecturing your children how to be responsible with money and taking care how they use it, might be a fruitless exercise. But there are dedicated routes you can put them on, where information in fun bite-sized portions can instil in them the values you want. Millennials by the age of 15 are beginning to understand how the economy works. Instead of sitting them down for a long talk about ‘pennies make the dollars’, give them something they can digest in their own time. Books on avoiding debt and having self-restraint can be a gift on a holiday or for their birthday. Don’t force it down their throats, they are, after all, going through a rebellion period at this age.

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Give them responsibility

Don’t patronise your children, the youngsters today aren’t what they used to be. Technology is at their fingertips, and most kids understand it; more than you might think. Take them with you to the bank, and set up a bank account in their name. Bring them through the process and let them ask you and the branch’s financial advisor questions. Another excellent strategy to get children interested in learning about finance is to go their school and request a fun segment with books, theatre and art on money, be incorporated into their everyday learning.

Why teaching your children responsible finance is important - renovating a property image

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A family project in renovating

For the keen, sharp-eyed investors, a property is there to be bought and sold. For the young entrepreneur, the property can be their very first business venture. Buying houses or apartments to renovate then sell, is a fantastic way for teenagers to become their own boss. As a parent or young entrepreneur, working with people you can trust such as family is crucial in taking the first step in the world of risk and reward. Buying an old house with your pooled resources and renovating the property into a modern family or professionals’ home, is a great route. When buying the materials you intend to use, look for deals, buy in bulk and plan out your budget and purchasing schedule. You will most likely be doing the renovating yourselves, so take the time to research the methods of professional builders to avoid time-consuming mistakes. When done correctly, your prudential real estate will be a hot potato, ready to be scooped up by many professionals.

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Selling your hard work

Property development can be a lucrative business. It not only stirs one’s creative juices but also requires the developer to do the research that will make their property incredibly attractive to the market. When it finally comes to selling your investment, auctioning your property to the highest bidder, rather than a fixed price set by a surveyor could give you more than you expected. You’re on shaky ground at this point, because different estate agents will quote you different prices. Go online and find a company with a track record that surpasses the competition, and will fight for you and sell your hard work for the absolute maximum.

Flying The Nest Financials

Flying away from the family nest is one of the most exciting and scary experience in a teenager’s life. Whether your teenager is moving into student housing or an independent home of their own, they’re going to have a lot of questions and you as the parent must be able to answer them all. Educating yourself on all things involved with renting or buying a home is going to be so important so that you can be the font of all knowledge your child believes you are.

Moving out of the house is a big deal for your teenager, but it is one to be celebrated. You’ve raised them to fly and this is what they are doing. So, teaching yourself everything you need to know on the differences between buying and renting a home is important so you can pass this on. For a student, moving into student housing dorms is going to be completely different to moving in with their friends or into an independent apartment. What do you need to know to be able to help your child?

Financial Information. There’s every possibility you’ve spent the past eighteen years saving up a chunk of money every month to help your child towards their first home, whether that’s a deposit to buy a home or a deposit towards a rental. If you haven’t had the means to do this, then encouraging your teenager to have their own job and learn to save up the money for their moving expenses is crucial. Moving out of the family home is greatly dependent on the finances and it’s not just the deposits, but money for furniture and cheap apartment rental insurance, which is an absolute must. You need your child to be safe when they do move, and their things need to be secure, which is something that insurance can give them and you.

Flying The Nest Financials - moving house image

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Area Information. Researching dormitories, apartments and even agents to help you look for somewhere to live is going to help you on your way to supporting your teenager flying the nest. Sift through the different agencies you can use to choose a new apartment for them to live in, as you need to compare prices of services and gather reviews for each company. If you must go down the route of renting an apartment instead of buying, then you’ll want your child to be well supported by the rental agency and their landlord. You can support from a distance, as well, so that they are secure.

Your teenager is probably jumping for joy at the idea of moving into adulthood independently, but you may not be. To help them fly the nest you need to prepare yourself along the way. Separation is a difficult thing for parents to deal with, not just children, and you may yourself struggle with the idea of them leaving your home. If you arm yourself with the right financial information and do your own research, you can ensure you are well-prepared for the changes ahead.

Family finance: moving your home business to an office

Family finance: moving your home business to an office - home office desk image

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Starting a home business is a dream come true for the most people, especially when you include your family into starting a business together. As a matter of fact, running a business from the comfort of your home allows flexibility and an opportunity to save money by doing business tasks yourself, without having to hire employees or having to get an office space.

However, once your business starts to grow and expand beyond the possibility of operating from home, the question of moving your home business to an office will emerge. Moving a business from your home to an office means sacrificing flexibility and certain liberties, but it only sounds more frightening than it actually is. After all, your business has achieved a level of success and you must allow it to grow further. Here are a few tips on how to move your home business to an office.

Determine the reasons for moving

Running a business from your home is a perfect situation, so why would anyone want to move out in the first place? Home conditions are best suited for startups or small business in their early stages of development. Simply put, when there is not enough business to go about and you can do almost everything from home. However, once your business starts to grow, you will have to weigh your options carefully about whether staying at home is possible or not.

For instance, will your business require you to hire additional employees beside your family members and can you outsource those employees or will you need them to gather in one place. Will you have to have personal meetings with business associates or will video calls still suffice. Can your budget and current business growth handle the expense of moving to an office or will moving to an office actually help your business grow further and see a return on investment? These types of decisions will have to undergo careful planning and the best way to start is to consult with your family and examine all the options.

Understanding the costs

The big question, when it comes to moving a home business, is whether you should buy or lease a commercial real estate. The answer entirely depends on your budget and whether your business will continue to grow further or will it stay idle for a prolonged period of time.

Leasing or renting an office space is upfront cheaper at first, but staying under lease for too long and the expenses may surpass those of buying a real estate. However, leasing offers the opportunity to grow your business at a steady pace, while upfront costs of buying a real estate and maintaining it, will hinder your ability to grow your business.

For instance, buying a real estate for moving your home business will cost you a lot upfront. Will you be able to afford that money and tie it in a down payment for your mortgage, and even if you can afford it, wouldn’t it be better to spend that sum on growing your business instead?

When leasing property, you have to pay the landlords a security deposit that is equivalent to one month’s worth of rent. Also, if you use a broker, there is 10 percent fee based on yearly lease total, times the number of lease years for their services, as well as attorney fees for lease negotiation. Compared to down payment for mortgage and fees such as due-diligence fees and closing fees, the upfront leasing cost is considerably lower than those of buying a commercial real estate. On that note, there are three most common types of leases you should familiarize yourself with.

  • Net – Rent plus some or all of building costs such as utility, maintenance, taxes and so on.
  • Percentage – Monthly rent plus percentage of your monthly sales
  • Gross – All-inclusive rent meaning a landlord pays for maintenance, utilities, insurances etc. while tenant pays for monthly rent.

Once you understand the costs, you must find the right commercial property location that suits you best. After all, you should consider the distance of your office from your home, as well as rent prices that are lower on the outskirts than in central locations of your city or town.

Benefits of moving to an office

Moving your home business to an office will enable it to grow further. You can hire more employees and have personal meetings with clients and business acquaintances. Furthermore, you no longer have to mix business agenda with a harmony of life, and even if your family is involved in your business, a home is still a home.

Nevertheless, financial expenses should be planned carefully and even though moving a business to an office can get expensive, the increase in revenue after business growth will provide a return on investment.

When your business outgrows your home, moving it to an office is a good idea. From a monetary point of view, it may be a better investment to buy commercial property than to lease it in the long run. However, monetary standpoint isn’t always the determining factor. After all, you’d want to allow your business to grow first and have some flexibility before finding a more permanent residence for it. In the end, the choice comes down to you and your future business goals.

Teaching Your Kids To Save Money

You might think that your kids are too young to learn about money. They must enjoy playing as kids. They must also be dependent on you when it comes to their financial needs. Although this is true, you have to understand that it won’t be true for long.

Kids grow up really fast. Before you know it, they are off to college and your kids will make their own financial decisions. You don’t want them to keep running back to you when they are already adults just because they are buried in debts.

This is true especially if you have also gone through the same problem in the past. You must have learned things the hard way. You should let your kids know that they don’t have to suffer the same fate. By being more financially responsible, they can escape debt problems and be more financially empowered.

To begin with, you need to show them the value of saving money. Teach them to make priorities when buying stuff. They have to understand the meaning of prices. Why would they choose one over another? What would they sacrifice if they buy a toy over food?

You need to give them actual situations for them to decide on. This will force them to think and make the right choices. As they grow older, they can use what they have learned as they face more difficult challenges. You will not always be there for them. While you can, you have to make sure that you let them understand the value of money.

Below is an infographic that will teach you the best ways to let your kids realize why being financially responsible is important. Hopefully, you can show to them the right ways to save money that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

9 Ways To Teach Kids To Manage Money

Ending The Debate: Should Your Child Buy Or Rent?

Its one of the age old questions that plagues every generation: what’s better, renting a house or buying one? This is something that a lot of people have very strong views about depending on their own personal experiences. For many, buying a home is considered the Holy Grail, and if you are someone who likes to settle down, there are no prizes for guessing why this arrangement might work for you. But on the other hand, many renters now swear by their decisions to never fully own a home of their own, claiming flexibility as just one of many reasons why. So why the big debate in the first place? Well, it’s clear just by looking at the statistics that the price of both buying and renting has shot up enormously over the past few decades or so. A three bedroom property that would have cost you $30,000 in 1975 could now have a deposit of that very same amount – meaning the total asking price could be over $160,000. Renting also doesn’t come cheap, with landlords often racking up their prices in order to prey on people who need flexible accommodation at short notice. Plus, there are frequently hidden fees that come with rental properties, such as administration fees and the first month’s rent upfront. So, with both of those issues in mind, people are passionate about their buy vs. rent argument because there is simply a sheer amount of money involved; and no one wants to hear that they have done the wrong thing with their hard earned cash. If your children are of college age and potentially will be moving into a place of their own in the near future, you may want to sit down with them and have a chat about their options. Try and take yourself out of the equation, whatever your own personal preferences may be. Instead, inform your child of the pros and cons of each situation, and allow them to, therefore, make an educated decision of their own accord.

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Cost

We are typically all lead to believe that buying ultimately works out cheaper over time than renting. This is because despite the upfront deposit (usually around 20% of the asking price), mortgage payments have typically been lower over the years than monthly rental charges. However, all this does depend on how things are looking in the current economic climate. Both rental costs are mortgage rates are liable to fluctuate, so generally speaking, the overall cost of your property can largely depend on the timing. Take the time to explain to your child the importance of a deposit for a house and what is expected of them when they try and take out a mortgage. There are generally less checks performed on a prospective renter than there are performed on a prospective homeowner. If your child decides to go ahead and rent a property, you may need to act as their guarantor. This essentially means that you need to sign a document stating that if they account keep up with rental payments, you will be able to cover the cost and therefore bail them out. This isn’t an option for people buying a home, and if your child’s finances are not in order, they have only a slim chance of being offered a mortgage in the first place. Lenders will look at things like financial history and credit scores to guage whether or not your child will be a responsible homeowner. So, if your child is not in full time work or has a dodgy credit history, you may want to advise them to rent until these affairs are put in order. At the same time, some unexpected costs can also occur with rental properties, such as landlords and estate agents charging a fortune for things like ‘administration fees’ and asking for a large bulk of the rent upfront. Some questionable landlords can even try and frame their tenants for breaking parts of the house, so take photos of everything when you child moves into their rental property, and keep a detailed itinerary.

Independence

Whether your child chooses to rent or buy largely depends on their own personal situation. If they are somewhat of a free spirit and don’t plan on settling down anytime soon, renting could be the perfect option. After all, once you buy a house, you are tied to it, seeing as it is probably your largest financial asset. With a rental property, it is ultimately the responsibility of another, and you are merely passing through. Speak to your child about what it is they want out of their property. Do they want somewhere to feel truly like home, or are they literally just looking for a short term place to crash? More millennials than ever are being unable to buy due to the rise in deposit costs, and are therefore renting as a way to constantly move around the country and even the world. If your child has the travel bug, encourage them to find a house to rent in countries where the housing market is very different to back home. Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Eastern European countries such as Budapest are all famed for their positive attitudes to renting over buying – and as a result, rental properties are cheap and in abundance. Your child may plan on moving around frequently, in which case it makes sense to look for rentals that can be issued on a month by month basis. But on the other hand, your child may be a bit of a homebody, or perhaps they have met someone and they want to purchase a house and get married. In this instance, make sure they are 100% happy with their choice of location – you can’t just up sticks and leave when you are tied to such an expensive asset, so it needs to be somewhere they are confident in.

 Ending The Debate: Should Your Child Buy Or Rent? - house with sold sign image

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Flexibility and potential consequences

It has already been mentioned that your child is unlikely to be approved for a mortgage loan if their financial history is unreliable or somewhat colorful. But even the most financially secure people can come into problems occasionally. If your child does stumble across some issues and gets into financial jeopardy, losing the house they bought can end up being a very scary reality for them. In the event of a first missed payment, first see if your child is eligible for any support from the government, such as if they are on a very low income. All in all, however, repeated missed payments can lead to one thing and one thing only: repossession. Personal items can first be repossessed before the home in its entirely is taken too, and your child and whoever lives with them are evicted. This can be devastating on a very personal level and can make it extremely difficult for them to ever get another mortgage in the future. That is why if you are in any doubt over your child’s ability to keep up with payments, lower your price threshold for their property or just rent until they are more secure. A good idea before you start making any offers is to use a mortgage calculator tool to measure, along with your child, whether or not they would be able to comfortably afford a home of their own. However, renting is not completely free from negative consequences either. Despite the fact that a rental tenant’s responsibilities are generally lower than that of a homeowner, you do still have an obligation to take care of the property while you are in it. This means respecting the landlord’s rules and wishes. For example, your child’s landlord may explicitly state that they are not comfortable with pets in the house, so advise them not to break said rule, as it could spark off an eviction. As far as decorating goes, some landlord are flexible – but it is still always better to check with them first before your child starts hammering nails into the walls and putting down a new carpet! Plus, you do always run the risk of coming across a landlord who takes advantage of your child. Many younger people are reporting horror stories of staying in dirty, unsanitary apartments at the hands of rogue landlords. Just as there are certain rules for tenants to abide by, landlords also have to adhere to a set of standards. If something goes wrong in your child’s rental property – the boiler breaks, or a window cracks, for example – it is your landlord’s responsibility to deal with the issue and to foot the bill for it, too. With all these conflicting pieces of information it can sometimes seem difficult to decide whether renting or buying is best for your child, but it is important to judge each case on its merits. With your child, decide what is truly important to them: having somewhere to call home and something that will act as an investment, or having the freedom to move as and when they please.