Archive for 'Teaching Kids About Money'
The Value of Children’s Savings Accounts
Posted on 13. Feb, 2011 by admin.
It is never too early to teach a child about financial responsibility. In fact, it is advised to teach young ones as much about finance as early as possible. This will ingrain good habits in them from an early age. Once a child has been instilled with the proper attitude towards finances, he/she will avoid the common financial pitfalls so many may make later in life.
This does raise questions regarding how you can go about teaching a child the facts about saving money. In the past, all parents could employ was the classic piggy bank. Today, there is a much better option and it comes in the form of an online savings account for kids. Such a savings account is identical to the account you would open at a bank. The prime difference would be the fact such savings accounts are designed for educational benefits on top of the basic savings services it delivers.
What type of education can it instill? Basically, adults can use this particular account as a means in which to present simple and effective lessons on how the value of money can increase of decrease depending what you do with it.
On the most basic of levels, childrens savings accounts can display the child the concept of compound interest. Kids do not realize that when you put your money away in an investment, it will grow. In particular, it grows due the accrual of interest and interest that compounds on itself. Such lessons can instill motivation in a child to invest his/her money. Once such motivation is instilled, the child will look towards a life of making money work through proper investment vehicles as opposed to seeing money do little more than end up being spent.
From this, kids will learn the true benefit of developing financial goals. For example, a child can set up goals through an allowance where the child opts to save 20% of the totality of his/her allowance by the end up the year. Whether or not the child can achieve the full 20%, the value of pursuing financial goals becomes possible.
This has the obvious benefit of instilling the true value of money and saving. Such information is only touched upon in grade schools…if it is covered at all. Through opening up kids savings accounts, the potential for the young one to learn the value of money is instilled and it is instilled at an early age. The value of this is incalculable. It can set a child on the proper path to a lifetime of financial freedom. The value of this certainly is obvious.
It is best to look for a reliable kids bank account with low fees, decent interest rates, and an interactive educational component. This way, the child is able to follow along with how the money grows when it is deposited. Simply putting money into an account that is little more than a lockbox does not boost educational value. You do not just want the child to save money. You want the child to learn the value of saving money. That is the most important component of all.
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Why Starting A Child’s Saving Account Is So Important
Posted on 28. Nov, 2010 by admin.
If you want to give your kids a truly good start in life you will help them learn about saving money. Teaching a child about money is one of the best things a parent can do, but too many parents overlook this very necessary lesson. Child savings account is a beginning way to get kids interested in saving and properly spending money.
Helping your child start saving money instead of spending it is a wonderful way to teach:
* Financial Responsibility
* Independence
* Budgeting
* Monetary goals
You can open a child’s saving account as early as age 5 at some institutions, and this in turn will give them their first true step towards independence and help create a ‘money conscious’ foundation that will remain throughout their lives.
Teaching children to save money can be very difficult for almost all parents. Kids naturally gravitate toward games, candy, comics and arcades. This is where they believe the fun is and they want the chance to enjoy this ‘fun’ with their peers. The only thing that is not really clear to your kids is ‘where this spending money comes from and where it is going’. A child saving account will help to monitor and protect the money and help them understand that money going out needs to go in first.
Children need to understand that money is earned and it really does not come falling from the sky. This lesson should begin as early in life as possible, and it should be part of their daily routine, not something that seems to be a punishment.
The value and importance of money can not be overstated, as many parents have discovered during the past few years. Even for adults it is hard to get a real handle on their financial obligations and direct a certain amount of money toward their savings funds.
Instead of lecturing your kids or coming off sounding like a miserable miser you can set the tone for thrifty savings early in life. This makes it easier to encourage financially sound money habits. And be creating a simple child savings plan you can begin to prepare them for their financial future.
Some parents have discovered the kits that allow their child to save their money at home and write checks for what they need, or want. The checks are cashed by the parents and the balances are monitored by both parent and child. This is a fun and easy way to help teach any child about the basics of money as well as the principles of ‘supply and demand’.
Showing your child how to handle money responsibly can be fun and it can help them learn the real importance of having money that is really their own. They can absorb the basic rules about saving money, spending money and budgeting without any lectures being involved. This makes the whole plan a better deal for parents and kids.
Parents who help their children develop their own kids savings accounts and budgets are also encouraging them to become more mature and financially independent. As these same kids enter their teenage and young adult years they will understand how to manage their money, credit and routine bills. Instead of rebelling at the idea of saving money these children will consider the idea as normal and practical as deciding what to eat for dinner.
You can begin by encouraging your child to save a portion of their allowance each week in either a piggy bank or child saving accounts. You should also encourage them to save monetary gifts and unexpected monetary windfalls that may occur throughout the year.
It is best to let your child have some input about the amount to save because this will help them feel more in control of the situation. You can always review the savings plan every month or two and renegotiate the ground rules. Call this a ‘financial conference’ and treat it seriously.
Find a savings account for kids in your area that features special savings programs designed for children. This is a perfect way to help your kids feel like ‘little adults’ as they begin to handle their money responsibly.
Some financial institutions have programs that will be especially appealing to a child. The initial deposit can vary depending upon which bank you use. Each kids bank account will also have specific requirements about deposits and withdrawals so check to see which bank will work best for you and your child.
There are banks that offer ‘savings points’ to children. These points are earned for each deposit they make into their own savings account. The points can be traded in for rewards and prizes that are geared to appeal to children. What child wouldn’t want to save money if they are going to get a prize such as a stuffed animal, a game, a book or some other special treat?
Encouraging your child to develop healthy, responsible spending and saving habits will make them think twice about unnecessary purchases. Being able to pay for their own purchases also helps a child develop self confidence and independence. They are also much more likely to take care of those items they buy with money that comes from their own piggy bank or child savings accounts.
