Why Should We Teach Our Kids About Money?

“Why should we teach our kids about money?

Some people say, “Timmy’s so young. I want him to enjoy being happy and innocent. Money is a worry for grown-ups, not kids.”

I say, “We’re raising a whole generation with ‘sucker’ stamped on their foreheads because we’re not teaching them.”Your job as a parent is not just to keep your child happy. You’re raising a future grown-up who needs to be able to deal with grown-up matters. If you teach little Timmy how to handle money responsibly, then grown-up Timmy will be better equipped for a richer life. Look at the statistics below:

*19% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 declared bankruptcy in 2001. (USA Today, 2001)

*The fastest growing group of bankruptcy filers are those people who are 25 years of age or younger. (Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, 2002)

*Over 80% of undergraduates have at least one credit card and nearly 50% of college graduates carry 4 or more credit cards. According to the Department of Education, the average balance carried by these students is more than $3,000. (Senator Chris Dodd, CT)

These statistics show that many children aren’t being taught how to handle money. Young people are making mistakes with zeros at the end of them. These mistakes often take years to overcome. Teach your children how to handle money while they are young, and they won’t make mistakes later on in life.”

As you can see it’s vitally important for us to be teaching our children about money now while they are young enough to build good financial habits.

Cheers….Amanda van der Gulik….Excited Life Enthusiast!