As you welcome in the New Year and think about personal goals for 2016, don’t forget your kids! Maybe you’ve thought about goals such as spending more time with them, making sure you’re saving enough money for college expenses or planning a special family vacation. These are great goals, but there are also some you can make that involve spending quality time with them to educate them financially and help ensure their future success.
Commit to activities that will teach them the importance and value of money.
There are many ways to teach kids about money, but actual activities that include engagement with a parent and others can be very effective, and don’t always require a lot of time or money. Here are three activities to consider with your kids in 2016 that can be fun to do together!
Show them the basics of saving by taking them to your bank or credit union.
It’s fun for kids to go beyond the ATM or counter, and walk inside for an actual appointment. If you can, open a small account for them with their allowance money or cash gifts from the holidays or a birthday. If the account is tied to yours, fees may be waived or minimal. The pride that comes with holding their own deposit slip, or seeing an online transaction for their own account, and hopefully shaking the hand of the local manager, makes for a special moment with your child. They can be encouraged to deposit additional money with you as they earn it or receive gifts or allowance, and when ready, obtain a debit card to learn to watch their balance and spend their money wisely.
Taking your child to your bank for their first official appointment can be a very special event for them to celebrate a New Year, birthday, or some other achievement. Consider talking with them about setting a goal for a fun trip with you to the bank this year.
Introduce them to investing by introducing them to your financial advisor.
If you have a local relationship with a financial advisor, ask if they will meet briefly with you and your child to spend some time explaining the importance of investing. Hopefully you can also open an account for them at that meeting if they have saved enough money, or that cash gift from grandma was large enough! The meeting can be kept simple by discussing worldwide companies your kid is likely already aware of – think Apple, Google, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Amazon, etc… Talking about these companies, how they make money for shareholders, and how to participate through various mutual funds is something your child will likely show interest in, especially if you’ve taken the time to introduce them to your personal advisor.
Creating a knowledge of the companies kids love beyond the products purchased and consumed is eye-opening and fun for them, especially when they recognize they can save their own money and invest in some of their favorite ones. They certainly understand hoverboards, Star Wars, and the other big sales hits of this past season!
Teach them to contribute their own money to causes they care about.
Once your child has a basic awareness of saving and investing, it’s wonderful to teach them why we give some of our money to causes we care about. They may have already volunteered their time, given away old clothing or toys, or placed coins into an offering plate or red bucket, but we also need to help them find their own passions for causes and develop good habits for giving financially.
You can discuss things they love and care about, talk about where there may be needs, and look at options for supporting those needs. They may love animals, have concern for those that are strays, and decide to send their money to an animal shelter. They may be sad for children that go hungry and want to give to a food bank. They can find causes around art, music, sports, and numerous areas of interest.
Then decide, what is the plan for giving? For example, is their allowance $5 weekly, and will they consider giving $5 every other month? Will you match that $5 for a $10 contribution? Once you make your decisions, it’s good for them to find a chosen charity’s website to contribute online, or for a younger child to help address an envelope for mailing your check.
When you receive the email or letter of thanks from the organization, sharing it with your child will teach them their small contributions are important and meaningful. Collecting letters like these with them over the years is a great goal, but also a reflection of time, and money, well spent.
May you, and your kids, have a financially healthy and Happy New Year!
Listen, I’m all for self-improvement. But I wholly believe that the greatest improvement any of us can make to our lives, and the lives of everyone around us, is to resolve to do something simple … BE HAPPY. Find your happiness. Create happy moments. Do happy things. Big things. Little things. Anything that lightens your load and makes you smile.