Posts Tagged ‘financial future’

Teach your Teens to Save Money

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Teaching your children how to manage their finances is absolutely critical if you want them to be successful at managing their money in the future. More than 80 percent of all parents are led to believe that their children are learning enough about personal finance and money management in school, unfortunately more than 90 percent of all students in high school and approximately 87 percent of all students in college have stated that everything they know about money management and financial planning has been learned from their parents rather than in school. Only 26 percent of parents with children aged 5 and older feel well enough prepared to teach their children the important details about money management. A study by the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy found that among twelfth graders, only around 10 percent of high school graduates were prepared for their personal financial future.

If you are not sure where, when or how to begin talking to your teens about saving money, you should rest assured that you are not alone. Teaching your kids about good money management, however, is a parental responsibility that is just as important as teaching them not to cross the street without looking both ways. As soon as kids become interested in money you can begin to lead by example, allowing them to pick up on good money management habits by following the direction that you give them. Here are some other simple and fun suggestions that will help your teens learn the value of money at an early age so that they can be prepared to take care of themselves as they get older.

Talk to your teen about money.

Talk to your teen about money.

1 – Explain to your children what money is all about.

As soon as your kids are old enough to count, they are old enough to understand the value of money. The earlier you can manage to teach them about money, including earning, saving and spending it responsibility, the better prepared they will end up being to manage their own finances in the future.

2 – Talk to your child about the family budget and allow them to learn by example as they grow up.

Let them ask questions about household finances so they understand early and receive consistent reinforcement of what it means to maintain a family budget and the financial matters surrounding it.

3 – Show your children how credit cards, debit cards and ATM machines work.

Show them that money does not grow on trees, and help them understand early what relationship exists between cash, credit, debit and other types of cards and accounts. Help your kids understand early that money has to be earned and saved before it can be spent.

When you discuss money with your children of any age, you will help them to develop a good sense of limits and positive, healthy financial planning in the process. You will teach them through examples exactly what it takes to spend money in a healthy way and make positive financial choices.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-12-16 05:30:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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4 Tips for College Students Budgets

Sunday, December 13th, 2009
Study and Save Money

Study and Save Money

If you are a college student, then your primary focus is probably set on your studies and trying to maintain your education so that you will be benefited in the future. Unfortunately, one of the things that you may not be putting enough consideration into is how you are handling your money. Even more unfortunately is the fact that failing to manage your finances now can put you in a pretty deep financial hole by the time you are graduating from college. For this reason above all else it is absolutely vital that you take control of your finances now so that you can have a bright financial future when you are through with your education. Here are some tips for college student budgets and how you can avoid college financial disasters.

1 – Only use credit cards in absolute emergencies.

Once you obtain a credit card, it can seem all too easy to begin racking up some debt, but this is a terrible way to start out, and may completely destroy your credit long before you graduate. Remember that the money that you spend on credit cards will eventually need to be repaid, and if you are not financially stable enough for this, you can put yourself into some serious debt with little effort. It is better to have a credit card that is intended only for emergencies rather than using it to purchase a new pair of shoes or to buy groceries if you can help it.

2 – Pay your credit card balance off every single month.

If you have a credit card, it has an interest rate, and if you want to avoid this interest, you absolutely have to pay your credit card balance off before each month is through. If you pay your balance off every single month, then you will avoid credit card debt and save a substantial amount of money that would normally have to go to interest rates and finance charges.

3 – Pay your bills off on time, every time.

Now is the most ideal time for you to begin building your credit history, and one of the best ways to do this is to always pay your bills off on time. If you are not able to pay your bills off on time, it can become quite expensive to deal with late fees and cut off charges. Many companies are more than willing to overwhelm you with late fees, shut off charges, renewal charges and deposits if you do not pay on time, and interest rates may also rise if you are late, costing you even more money in the long run.

4 – Start putting money away now.

Many college students never really grasp how important it is to save money. If you start saving money now, while you are still in school, you can reap a large number of benefits when you are older. Get into the habit of saving now, and you will begin to earn money from the money that you put away. When emergencies come up in the future, you will be better prepared which will save you time, money and hassle in the process.

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Originally posted 2008-12-15 05:36:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Tips for College Student Budgets

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
College students going for financial success.

College students going for financial success.

Trying to make ends meet when you are in college is not an easy task. Your income is usually pretty limited and expenses can be high, even if you have a scholarship. If you’re trying to save money or just get by, there are some great tips for college student budgets that you can put into use right away. These tips will help make it easier to get through the month and will help you get on the right track for building a strong foundation for your financial future.

Easiest Tips for College Student Budgets –

The best tip is to reduce the amount of money that you spend on non-essentials and fast food. Cafeteria food may not be the best, but if it’s free, then it’s worth it. You may also want to consider purchasing your own food to prepare at your dorm or apartment. This can easily save you more than $50 a month, depending on how often you eat out. Part of the college experience is figuring out how to budget, and preparing your own food is the best answer. You can still eat healthily and you’ll be learning great skills for the future.

Smartest Tips for College Student Budgets –

Getting a part time job may be a little time consuming, but it can free up quite a lot of money every week. Try to find a job on campus, like at the library, where you can combine your study time with work time. This will allow you to make a little extra money without having your school work suffer. Working a lousy job is yet another important part of the college experience and will provide you with the skills and experience you need for the future. You may also want to try to find a paid intern position where you can work on contacts for after graduation.

Entertaining Tips for College Student Budgets –

Entertainment can take a huge chunk of your money, whether it’s movies, the bar, or just spending money wildly. Learn to find free things to do with your friends and try staying in at least one extra night a week. Your school work will benefit from that extra day and you’ll be saving money at the same time. If you don’t want to cut back on entertainment, find other areas where you can scrimp, or work a little extra so that you have the money to spend.

Wealthy Tips for College Student Budgets –

Every year, college students take their ideas and put them into action. Facebook.com is a great example of a simple idea that turned into a billion dollar company.  Use Loanio to obtain a loan for seed money. If you have a great idea, don’t be afraid to try to implement it. You never know if you don’t start– you may just be the next big success story.

Money is usually tight for college students, but if you utilize these tips for college student budgets, you should be able to notice a big difference in how much money you have left at the end of the month.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-12-11 05:03:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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