Take Advantage of Opportunities to Teach Your Kids about Money

One of the biggest benefits of beginning money talk with your kids when they are young is that there seem to be endless teaching opportunities or "teaching moments" afforded to us by them. Kids love to ask questions and providing them answers to such things as...

• "Why can't we go out to dinner again tonight?" (discuss the family budget or the cost of doing so)
• "I really want that American Girl doll. Can you buy it for me?" (talk setting goals and saving)
• "Why do I have to put money in my Share jar?" (it's time donate those dollars - make it tangible for them)

...will help them feel more comfortable with money and money choices. Money is a tool with which kids should be comfortable. Talking to them about it will keep it from becoming a "taboo topic."

By not talking to your kids about money, you'll miss the chance to engage with them in these ultra-important teaching moments. It will increase the chance that money will move into the realm of "taboo topic" and that can lead to misunderstandings and, worse, financial illiteracy when they get older. Talking to them about money doesn't guarantee money smarts, but not doing so carries tremendous risk.

Are you worried they might not understand? You'd be amazed what they can understand at a young age. Check this out:

Choose to Save

Thrive by Five

-John

Just Add Kids

We are really fortunate. Our Money Mammals teaching guide, for kids 1-2, just won the Oregon State Desjardins award for leadership in youth financial literacy, courtesy of Rogue Federal Credit Union and Kerrie Davis. Thanks, Kerrie! I also happened to be using the teaching guide this week in my daughter's K-2 class at Larchmont Charter Schools here in Los Angeles, California. The guide provided a nice framework for a "Share" (charitable giving) lesson tied to the school's Thanksgiving food (and money) drive. I brought in some jars and the kids decorated them with fun Share labels and Goal labels for the amount they planned to save over the two weeks until the Thanksgiving drive ended. I enhanced the lesson with video from my show.

The kids really enjoyed setting the goals and I just know that they will do an incredible job bringing in food and money for the needy. The take-home lesson for me was that, once again, you just need a good framework and just add kids. The kids are ready to learn about many aspects of financial literacy at a young age (five and six in this case) and they make any lesson so much more than you could have imagined prior to going into the classroom.

Stunning Stats & the Solution!

Here are some stunning stats to think about regarding financial literacy:

-62% expect of college graduates will have a student loan debt averaging $27,236 (Student Monitor)

-Only 11% of workers under 35 years of age indicate they are participating in their company's 401(k). (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)

-40% will never gain a net worth in excess of $10,000 (American Dream Education Campaign)

-In most cases, economics and personal financial literacy programs are elective classes so “only 12% of Americans graduate from high school having learned anything about money at all.” (FoxNews.com)

-Less than one-quarter of students and only 20% of parents say students are very well prepared to deal with the financial challenges that await them after graduation. (KeyBank)

We spend so much time trying to fix bad habits in teens, young adults and adults. It's not working! When are we going to realize that the lion's share of our focus must be on the children. We must be good habits in our young children.

Still don't believe me? Please read this.

-John

President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy

Just in case you weren't convinced of the importance of youth financial literacy...The President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy (yes, there is one) is releasing a draft recommendation on how to advance advance financial literacy in the US (check out the top link).

-to expand and improve financial education for students from kindergarten through post-secondary education;

-to support the increasingly important role of employers as providers and conduits of financial education for their employees;

-to increase access to financial services for the millions of unbanked and underserved Americans;

-to identify and promote a standardized set of skills and behaviors that a financial education program should teach an individual; and

-to promote more awareness among Americans of the state of financial literacy and dedicate more resources toward educating Americans on how to improve that.

Granted, these are only recommendations, but it shines a bright light on the importance of teaching young kids (not to mention teens and adults) to share and save and spend smart. Lack of financial literacy in the US is like a disease that has infected our economy badly. It's so important that we marshall as many resources as possible to cure this disease.

You can find out more about the council by clicking here.