Regardless of the age of your kids, from toddlers to teens, it’s never too early or too late to start talking about money. But where to begin? It’s not always intuitive. Here are a few tips to get you in the right frame of mind and steer you in the right direction. More
Perhaps you can relate to these statements:
Life has changed significantly in a short period of time – even just a few short years. Technology is improving at light speed and in this ‘On Demand’ world, we’re becoming more and more accustomed to getting whatever we want, when we want it. While getting what we want quickly is lovely, our children will learn at some point that the world doesn’t always work that way. In teaching them lessons in financial planning and delaying that which we desire to have or accomplish, we can truly make life easier for them and set a strong foundation for financial viability. More
In addition to the values entrenched in the act of giving, learning to give establishes a strong foundation for adopting sound financial practices. When teaching financial literacy to children, giving can be demonstrated as just one pillar of economic responsibility, which also includes spending money, saving money and investing money. Just as in saving and investing, most charitable giving is planned for in some way. Children are better prepared to become financially secure adults when taught about the importance of giving, saving and budgeting responsibly and parents can proactively teach their children by modeling desired behavior and through discussion regarding charitable efforts. More
Saving. As adults we know it’s critical, but the lesson is still sometimes hard to learn. In looking at our culture, in 2010 43 percent of American workers had saved less than $10,000 for retirement. We can actively help our children learn about the necessity and benefits of saving at early age – and the concept of planning for sharing is the same.
It’s New Year’s! What better time to begin following these three easy steps to help your children build healthy saving and sharing habits. More
The author and her young cousin, Andi Grae.
Exhausted from this unrelenting, confusing senior semester, my fall break goal was to do nothing, which I almost accomplished in the best of ways: I went home, something I’ve barely done in 2011. While in Sumter, I spent a day with my cousin Vicki and her eight-year-old daughter, Andi Grae. Quality time with Vicki, who is more like my big sister, is the best—a now too-rare occurrence involving cookie dough, sharing stories and good advice. I’ve learned a lot from Vicki. As a 22-year-old, good parenting isn’t a skill that I look to pick up from her yet, and she doesn’t usually dole it out to me in the loving, invested nature with which she helps me reach decisions. On this most recent visit, however, I learned an important lesson from Vicki about being a good parent, a giving parent. Her message wasn’t directed at me but instead at Andi Grae. More
Thanks to Abacus Planning Group for sharing this modern piggy bank with TAG!
Thinking back on your own childhood … do you remember your piggy bank? It was probably a round pig, with one hole in the top to plink your coins into. Didn’t you just love the way it sounded when the coin hit the bottom? Or how you felt when you shook out all the coins to count them?
So your old piggy bank taught you two lessons: saving and spending. But what about the other crucial pieces of the financial puzzle: investing and sharing? Why not introduce these four concepts at the same time? More
Dear Maria,
It’s funny how one little thing leads to another slightly bigger thing and then another, bigger still.
One night in 2005, I sat alone in my bedroom watching a previously recorded Oprah episode. There you were, being interviewed alongside your mother, Eunice Shriver. Enough years have passed that I can’t remember specific details, but you shared a story about growing up in a home in which there were photos of people you never met in your dining room, where conversation centered on how to help those people, who were in need. More
'This is Green' app for iPhone
Last week we talked about smart apps that create social good and help us teach our kids about the importance of giving. Apps that teach us about and improve the environment are also in the boundless application terrain. Whether you’re driving, shopping or playing a game, these three iPhone apps support you and your family in making a necessary difference for our planet. More
How many of you have downloaded apps on your smart phone or iPad for your children? The limits to how we can use smart phones seem endless, especially when we watch our kids with them. We use apps for entertainment, socializing, music, travel and weather. Hours may pass with merely a couple of glances away from the tiny screen that lets us video chat, get directions to the mall and check gas prices.
Philanthropic plans, it turns out, can be put into motion just as seamlessly through apps and smart devices. Here are two mobile applications and an iPad app that make giving and social change as easy as leaving comments on a friend’s Facebook status. More
I never knew one of the most difficult things you face as a parent is giving your children too much. But the signs are everywhere in our house. The bedrooms have toys. The living room has toys. The family room has toys. Even the bathtub has toys.
We are grateful for everything we have and appreciate gifts, but our kids have enough. More than enough. This year we decided to try something new. As we planned the usual birthday party with lots of friends, I sat down with my almost seven year old. We brainstormed about gifts that wouldn’t be too expensive and could be put to good use by people who really need them. More
