Financial empowerment, literacy, and education are so important not just amongst adults, but children too. So, as we kick start 2024 and think about financial goals for the year, many clients and prospects have been asking us how to think about finances for their kids and the best ways to teach their children about money from an early age. So while you start your spring financial cleaning, think about some ways to incorporate finance into your childrens’ lives. While there are many different routes to save money for children and teach them about personal finance, we wanted share a few with you, especially some you can implement this summer.
First and foremost, we want to stress the importance of teaching children personal finance topics and smart financial decisions from an early age. Knowing what money means to you is an important concept whether you’re a child or an adult. One savings vehicle we always recommend to parents when saving for their children is 529s plans. For further details on 529 plans, you can check out our blog, but this savings vehicle is a great way to get ahead of college and education savings for your kids.
For those who want to educate their children about money and finances, setting up a donor-advised fund is a great way to get the kids involved in not only charitable giving, but the importance of budgeting and setting money aside for different buckets and priorities. Another question we’ve been getting from clients is where to save “birthday” or “gift” money for their kids? Parents can open a minor high yield savings account for their children to earn maximum interest while still being FDIC insured. As their money grows overtime, you can explain to them how interest works and how money can grow overtime.
Some other ways to teach your young children about money is to talk about it. Make sure you are having conversations with your children about money, for example, how much things cost and how people earn money so that they can spend it. Teach them the difference between wants and needs. Exposing them to concepts such as these will help them learn about personal finance topics as they mature and enter adulthood.
It is never too late to start learning personal finance concepts. If you have children that are approaching college and you want them to learn and prepare how to manage and budget their finances on their own, let us know and we are happy to help. We offer financial literacy meetings to children and young adults to educate them on personal finance and answer any questions that they have. If you are interested in educating your children, email us at info@shermanwealth.com and we are happy to set up some time to connect and share our resources.
