For families with college students, financial aid season has arrived. The FAFSA is now available, and unlike last year’s rocky rollout of a revamped version, this year’s form appears to be relatively glitch-free. If you’re debating whether to complete the FAFSA, here are a few reasons why it’s worth the effort: […]
Teaching your teen about money management, an essential life skill, can set them on a path to financial success. A crucial aspect of their financial literacy is understanding credit. Building credit for your teenager might not be something that many parents think about, but starting early can give them a head start in establishing a [...]
One of the most divisive issues in couples’ relationships is money, so what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to sit down with your loved one and talk about money in a calm, relaxed setting? Now, you don’t have to do it on Valentine’s Day, but use that week and its symbolism of love and couplehood to schedule [...]
As summer comes to an end, many teenagers are flush with cash from summer jobs. If your teenager is in this situation and you’d like to use this opportunity to teach them the magic of compound interest, consider opening a Roth IRA for them. Roth IRAs are a great investment vehicle for kids because the earlier they start saving in a Roth IRA, the longer they have for their money to compound tax-free. Furthermore, kids’ income is usually low enough not to worry about the income limits on contributions that eventually prevent many adults from contributing to a Roth IRA.
I was asked to share my top 3 personal finance tips for graduating seniors with a class of local high schoolers. There are so many smart money habits new adults need. Where to start? I tried to focus on the ones that would set these newly minted adults off on the right path. Here’s what I came up with: [...]
April was the 20th anniversary of Financial Literacy Month in the US. This year, the movement was overshadowed by the global coronavirus pandemic and has many wondering if financial literacy matters in the current environment. It matters more than ever! A new survey from the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) finds that nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) Americans [...]
Most parents try to teach kids the life skills they’ll need to thrive as adults. Some of those skills relate to money and work ethic. Sadly, particularly in affluent communities, children are often sheltered from the responsibilities and realities faced by adults. The percentage of high school-aged kids who work is at an all-time low, declining to 20% in 2013 [...]
It is our responsibility as parents to teach our kids the life skills they’ll need to thrive as adults. Some of the most important skills we can teach them relate to making smart money decisions. One topic that often provokes strong opinions relates to allowance: how much to give, whether to tie it to chores and what it should cover. [...]
As the mother of two middle schoolers, at this time of year my thoughts turn to how to keep them busy over the summer. While we have a family vacation planned and they’ll go to a few camps, I also like them to learn something new over the summer. Given my job as a financial planner, that typically involves learning [...]
As my kids have grown, I’ve tried to teach them important money concepts along the way. After all, the Council for Economic Education reported in its 2018 Survey of the States that only 16 states require any economics course work during K-12, and only seven states require students to take courses in personal finance. So, it’s up to us parents [...]
