When my friend, Craig, lost his mom to cancer, it was a defining experience for him. He loved his mom. That was obvious by the moving tribute he gave during her memorial service. But he often thought of her simply as a hard-working, low-income single mom, not as a woman of significant influence. During a […]
As cash-hungry states look for new sources of revenue, several are now allowing advertisers to put paid messages on the sides of school buses. Currently, seven states allow advertising on school buses: Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Six others are considering the idea: Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Washington. […]
Mint.com, the popular budget site, has created an online game to help middle school students learn about money. Designed in partnership with Scholastic, Quest for Money is designed to teach young people about various money management skills such as budgeting and saving money. Since we use Mint.com and are very satisfied with the service, I […]
When it comes to allowances, there are those who say you should just give kids some money since they’re part of the family. Others say they should earn it. Dave Briggs is in the earn it camp. “I do not believe just giving kids money prepares them for the real world,” he explained. “When you […]
The recession has left workers in their 20s and 30s wary of the stock market. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the percentage of workers between 25 and 35 who say they have saved for their retirement has fallen by over 20 percent in the last decade. A Newsweek article about the research noted […]
There was a good post on Get Rich Slowly recently about fanning the entrepreneurial flames in your kids. The author suggested connecting money making ideas with your kids’ interests (as opposed to just making money for the sake of making money), supervising the set-up of their business but giving them enough room to fail since […]
Have your kids ever asked you a real stumper of a question about money? Consider this one, culled from a great series of blog posts from Ron Lieber at The New York Times: “You tell me all the time that the reason we have nice things and can go to a nice school is that […]
Nearly half of recent high school grads say they are unsure how to manage their own banking or personal finances, according to a survey by Capital One. Now for the good news: the survey also found that money is one topic where parental advice can actually get through to teens. Among the students who said […]
If your child plans to work a summer job, encourage him or her to open a Roth IRA. According to a Mainstreet.com article, money you pay your child for chores won’t qualify, but money the child earns mowing other people’s lawns, babysitting, working a paper route, and many other jobs probably will. A Roth IRA […]
Looking for ways to teach your kids about money? Consumer Reports recently highlighted “Feed the Pig for Tweens,” a financial literacy program for 4th through 6th graders. The free program teaches kids how to save, spend smart, and distinguish between needs and wants. Teachers can use the materials in their classes or parents can use […]
