Hope for your financial life and beyond

My 6-Yr. Old Has Earned 100 Dollars and We Are Opening a Savings Account

October 30, 2014 by 8 Comments

This past Saturday my 6-yr. old son and I made a trip to our local bank. This trip wasn’t for me though. He was there to open his very first savings account.

savings jar with $100 bills His first deposit was for $103, a very cool amount of money for a six year old to already have. The best part about this money though is that it was earned. All of it came from commissions he has earned from doing work around the house.

My wife and I don’t give our kids allowances for reasons that I’ve shared before. We believe in giving commissions. We developed a chore sheet with assigned tasks for each child based on their age.

Our kids do the assigned work they’ve been given each week and they get paid for that. Don’t complete the work and they don’t get paid. It’s as simple as that. I think that accurately reflects what will take place in a real world work environment.

Teaching Kids About Savings and the Bank

We start our kids out with doing paid chores at age five. So for one year and a few months now Doot-Doot (our 6-yr. old) has been doing five chores per week for which he gets paid five dollars. Two dollars goes into his savings jar, two goes into spending and one dollar goes towards giving.

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Filed Under: Kids and Money, Saving Tagged With: , , ,

Give the Gift of Investing This Holiday Season

October 5, 2014 by 6 Comments

I’m happy to welcome today the Debt Free Guys. Enjoy their guest post on how the gift of investing may be the best present a child could receive this holiday season.

Christmas presents under the treeAmericans are expected to spend between 4 and 4.5 percent more this coming holiday season than in 2013 or $981 to $986 billion between November and January, excluding auto and gas sales. The lion’s share of that money is expected to be spent on technology, led by Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6+.

Already this month we’ve seen personal finance blogs with advice to manage expenses this holiday season. Expect to see lists of all sorts on financial blogs and websites, such as “25 Gifts Under $25”, “Gifts You Can Make” and “The Art of Re-Gifting”. We’ll kick off our 2014 holiday shopping advice to give the gift of investing this year.

There will be the exceptions, but most American children will have their fair share of gifts beautifully wrapped and lovingly placed under a Christmas tree or next to a menorah. They’ll excitedly un-wrap their gift, play with their new toy or wear the new piece of clothing, but eventually the gift will be forgotten. Some possibly forgotten before the day is over. Others will be forgotten by the end of the holiday season or a few months later. Even iPhones lose their luster after several months.

What won’t be forgotten is education. As we’ve discussed frequently at Debt Free Guys, we believe there is a gap in education in that kids don’t sufficiently learn enough about money management, saving and investing.

Educate the children in your life and give the holiday gift of life-long investing. There are three ways to do this.

Open a UTMA/UGMA Account

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Filed Under: Giving, Investing, Kids and Money Tagged With: , ,

4 Guiding Money Principles that Every Child (and Adult) Must Learn

August 14, 2014 by 18 Comments

Please welcome my good friend and Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Shannon Ryan from The Heavy Purse as she guest posts today.

word learn engraved in stoneWhen I was 13 years old, my father began giving me “money lessons” while we ate dinner, and I had no idea how these simple lessons would change my life. He didn’t focus on how money worked, but instead he showed me how my emotions affected my spending habits and money beliefs. With his guidance, I changed how I viewed money – from lack and fear – to one of abundance. Most importantly, I learned how to make financially confident decisions that aligned how I used my money with my goals and values. It felt great.

It wasn’t until college that I realized what a special gift my father gave me. Many of my friends and classmates had not been taught how to handle money wisely. Money wasn’t discussed in their homes, so they learned by trial and mostly error. I wanted to help them and became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). For the past 22 years, it’s been my honor to help families and individuals reclaim their money happiness.

How Money Habits and Beliefs Are Formed

One trend I noticed repeatedly was that many of our money habits and beliefs formed when we were children, not adults. We observed how our parents handled money and mimicked them, inheriting their money hang-ups along the way. We then grew up to pass these same hang-ups to our children, continuing the vicious cycle.

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Filed Under: Kids and Money, Managing Money Tagged With: , , , ,

The Lemonade Stand Book Review Plus An iPad Mini Giveaway

July 14, 2014 by 19 Comments

The lemonade stand book reviewToday I have the pleasure of assisting my friend Shannon Ryan from TheHeavyPurse.com as she kicks off the release of her new book The Lemonade Stand. In addition, you can sign up below for the chance to receive a free iPad Mini. How cool is that!

Before you get to the giveaway, I’d like to briefly share my review of The Lemonade Stand, a book geared toward children ages 4-9.

The book follows the adventures of sisters Lauren and Taylor and their friends Ryan and Christopher.

The Storyline

As they shop in preparation for a beach trip the following day, Christopher discovers a toy he wants really bad. Guess what? His brother Ryan also finds something in the toy aisle. Both beg their mother for their desired toy that they must have “right now!”

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The 3 Money Topics Teenagers Most Like to Discuss

June 25, 2014 by 3 Comments

Today I’m guest posting at The Heavy Purse, a blog that focuses on parents teaching their kids about money. Click the link below to read the rest of this post.

Teenage student holding credit card

Image at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve had the privilege for the past 17 years to be engaged in a challenging and never-dull career, the educational instruction of teenagers. Until giving up my high school teaching position recently to become a stay at home dad, part of my instructional responsibility was teaching Basic Economics and Personal Finance classes. I used some really good material over the years, including the high school curriculum published by Dave Ramsey’s team.

My economics classes were enjoyable enough. The students were able to understand the historical trends of economics, the basic concepts of supply and demand, and how governments can promote or hinder economic growth. I would say as a whole, that class was met with only average, C+ levels of enthusiasm.

But mention the words “Personal Finance” and the kid’s eyes would light up…

Continue reading at The Heavy Purse…

Next Post: How to Play the “Take This Money – No Thanks – I Insist” Game

Prior Post: How I Increased My Facebook Reach For Blog Posts By Over 700 Percent

 

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Why I’m So Excited to Spend Money Again on Cable TV

June 2, 2014 by 53 Comments

cable TV

I revealed last week in “The Fear of Spending Once the Debt Is Gone” that my wife and I haven’t begun to wildly spend now that we have paid off all of our debt. It was a relief to know the discipline that drove us to pay off our mortgage early has continued to define our post-debt lives. We have no inclination to spend, spend, spend now that more money is available in our monthly budget

In all honestly though, we have loosened the reins on our spending a little bit.

We’ve brought back cable TV!

What? That’s blasphemy in the frugally-minded personal finance world. Cutting cable TV is always the first expenditure to go in those “10 Ways to Save Money and Pay Off Debt” posts. I’ve surely even said that before myself.

If cable TV is the first thing to cut, why can’t it be the first thing to bring back? Seems logical to me.

Needless to say everyone in the house is thrilled with this decision.

Short Term Cable TV Sacrifice For Long Term Gain

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Filed Under: Kids and Money, Spending Tagged With: , , ,

The Real Secret to Developing a Work Ethic in Kids

May 17, 2014 by 6 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #41 – “Therefore, I urge you to imitate me.” I Corinthians 4:16

developing a positive work ethic

Like father, like son

The messages this week at Luke1428 have all centered around the benefits, both financial and emotional, that children can receive from doing work. My wife and I have been teaching our children that labor leads to profit and that if they don’t work they won’t get paid. Those are big messages and the sooner they learn them the better.

Have you ever wondered how a solid work ethic gets ingrained in a child? Is it something they are born with? Does it come through the hearing of verbal instructions given by adults? Or maybe it results as a reaction to punishment received for laziness or disobedience.

Those ideas have merit. However, I don’t believe any of them in and of themselves will ultimately produce a child with a strong work ethic. What will ultimately do it? The answer is simpler than you think:

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Kids and Money, Work Tagged With: , , ,

Why We Don’t Give Our Kids Allowance

May 13, 2014 by 30 Comments

My wife and I are not giving our kids allowance simply for existing. We’ve chosen a different path to reward them with money.

kids allowanceDoesn’t it seem our culture has lost the passion for hard work? I look around and see adults taking risky, unnecessary shortcuts in an attempt to get ahead in their career. I see people playing the lottery to get rich quick instead of choosing to build wealth over time.

Then there are those people in tough financial situations that won’t take certain jobs because they consider the position beneath their standards. Really? Must not be that desperate.

Our mindset has changed to thinking we should be given things simply because we deserve it. Someone else (like the government) will provide for me, right?  So why work?

Sad thing is, these attitudes are being scooped up by our young people. We have a generation of kids who bristle at the idea of doing a 30-minute homework assignment on a Tuesday night. Cuts into their Snapchat time. If they do muster the desire to attempt the work, they only put in half the effort. They shut down if the answer to a problem causes them to think for more than two consecutive minutes.

More and more kids are refusing to push themselves to work. They are opting out of excellence. And when they fail, someone or something else is to blame.

If we are going to succeed in life and with money, we have to clearly embrace a concept found in the Bible – “In all labor there is profit but idle chatter leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23)

That’s why we are not giving our kids allowance.

Giving Kids Allowance Doesn’t Teach the Value of Work

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Filed Under: Kids and Money, Work Tagged With: , , ,

How We Are Coping With the Family Rat Race

April 2, 2014 by 4 Comments

Father and baby handFour times in my life I’ve been able to experience the truth of this Bible verse:

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” (Psalm 127:3)

Each time I was moved to the point of tears as that new life came into the world. To think I helped create a completely unique person was very humbling. More than that, it was overwhelming, knowing that a large part of who they would become depended upon my parenting skills.

Psalm 127:4 goes on to say that children are, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior…” The thought about parenting here is clear…the warrior is me, the parent. Just like a warrior breaks the stillness of the air and sends his arrow toward the mark, so parents are to raise children so they fly straight and true to hit the target.

But what target do we want them to hit? And why? How will we get them there? Will I know if I’m succeeding?

Those type of questions often leave parents confused and prompt us to make some poor decisions.

I’m talking more about this today as I guest post for Cat Alford at Budget Blonde. I’m very excited for Cat who has just become a new mommy to twins. Visit her site now and read my article entitled:

“The Evolution of Parenting: Are We Pressing Our Kids Too Far?”

Image at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Next Post: Pain and Suffering Is No Excuse to Quit Moving Forward

Prior Post: Spring Break – Glorious Rite of Passage or Undisciplined Waste of Money

Filed Under: Kids and Money Tagged With: , , ,

How to Save Money and Cut Taxes by Hiring Your Kids

February 13, 2014 by 15 Comments

The following post is by Kim Fourman. Please note that this article is intended to discuss general tax topics. Consult your own tax advisor regarding your specific circumstances.

hiring your kids

Boy at a weaving station – circa 1908

One of the most overlooked ways for small business owners to save on taxes is by hiring your kids in the business.  Here’s how it works:

Consider What Work Can be Done

The first thing to consider when hiring your kids is the work that your child can do. Their work must be age appropriate and must be legitimate work for your business.

For example, having your child do household chores would not count as working for your business, but picking up trash and cleaning up the yard at your rental property would. The IRS has accepted employment by a child as young as seven. You do not run afoul of any federal child labor laws when you employ your own children, but make sure to check with your state department of labor.

You Must Do the Paperwork

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Filed Under: Kids and Money, Taxes Tagged With: , , ,

The South Ain’t Gettin’ Personal Finance

February 3, 2014 by 41 Comments

6009194059_94d611cfc8_zI happened to enjoy some extra reading time last week because Snowmaggeddon 2014 kept most of Atlanta captive to their homes. I ran across this article from Time Business and Money that talked about the plight of Americans and their money. In it, they cite the Assets and Opportunity Scorecard report from the Center for Enterprise Development. This report found 44% of Americans were living under “persistent economic insecurity that makes it difficult to look beyond immediate needs and plan for a more secure future.”

According to the article, this segment of the population has less than $5,887 in savings for a family of four. With credit scores also shot from the latest recession and housing crisis, they feel their only alternative to manage through emergencies is to resort to high interest credit cards or payday loans. As those of us deeply focused on personal finance know, these types of programs only serve to bring further damage to the individual’s financial state.

Being an investigative personal finance blogger, I decided to look up the full CFED report and find where my home state of Georgia ranked. A couple of clicks and…uh-oh…that doesn’t look good. However, the results showed an even more alarming trend as it relates to the entire U.S. South. Here are the ranks for states 42-51 on the list (District of Columbia included):

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Filed Under: Kids and Money, Managing Money Tagged With: , ,