7 Money Management Tips to Teach Your Kids

Whether you are aware of it or not, you are constantly teaching your children about money management. It might not be obvious, but most kids can easily pick up how you manage your money—whether you plan before you shop, set aside some money for savings, or spend irresponsibly.

At its core, teaching good money management to your kids boils down to setting the right example. Fortunately, nowadays, teaching your children how to manage their money accordingly has never been easier. Today, you now have access to debit cards for kids and teens. And that’s just for starters.

There are also other innovative financial tools available nowadays designed especially for kids, like apps that allow parents to reward kids chores with money.

Below are seven of the most essential money management tips you should teach your kids:

1. Allow Them to Earn Their Own Money

According to a 2019 survey conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), at least two-thirds of parents gave their kids allowances when they helped out with the chores. Kids earn an average of $30 per week based on five hours of chores.

If you want your children to become good at saving money, you need to encourage them to start saving once they start earning, no matter how small. It would also be a good idea to get them into the habit of consistently setting aside a percentage of their earnings.

2. Teach Them How to Set a Savings Goal

To most children, being told to save is pointless if they don’t know the rationale behind it. Having a savings goal is also a great way to encourage and motivate them to save. Also, if they have a savings goal, it’s easier to make them attainable by breaking them down into manageable bites.

3. Provide a Place Where They Can Save Money

Once your kids have identified their savings goal, they need to know where they can stash their cash. For younger kids, a piggy bank would be ideal. However, for older kids, consider helping them set up their own savings accounts. Nowadays, you also have the option to get them a debit card designed especially for kids.

4. Teach Them How to Track Their Spending

Part of wise money management is knowing where your money goes. For adults, tracking expenditures can be done easily using a bank app or other means. For children, tracking expenses is easier if done the old-fashioned way. Each time they get an allowance, have them write down their purchases daily.

Have them add up everything at the end of each week. Sit down with them at the end of each week and help them see how they have been spending their money and what aspects they need to improve on. Aside from their spending patterns, you can also help them realize how much faster they can attain their savings goals if they have good spending habits.

5. Provide Savings Incentives

One of the enticing reasons many employees take advantage of the employer’s retirement plan is the matching contribution provided by the company. After all, that’s free money, right? If you have difficulty motivating your kids to save, you can use the same technique to get them started.

If they have big savings goals, consider matching a percentage of what they have saved. Another idea would be to provide a monetary reward when they reach a specific savings milestone. For instance, you can give them $50 as soon as they hit the halfway mark.

6. Teach Them the Value of Delayed Gratification

One of the main tenets of saving is living within your means. If your kids want to buy something and are impatient when it comes to saving for the items they want, act as their creditor so you can teach them the value of delayed gratification.

The catch is to let them pay interest for the money you will lend them. The lesson here is when they save for what they want, they can purchase the item without paying interest.

7. Talk to Them About Money

In a 2021 survey conducted by T. Rowe Price, 41% of parents said they don’t discuss money with their children. Surprisingly, many express embarrassment when bringing up the topic.

However, if you want your kids to learn how to manage their money well, you need to have an open discussion with them about the topic. It is also important that you have regular check-ins with them each week to ensure you keep the conversation going.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, if you want to teach your children smart money management, you need to set a good example first. Start by getting your emergency fund in shape, increasing your 401(k) plan contributions, or opening a 529 savings account.

An app to teach your Kids Money Management

Have you heard of BusyKid?

BusyKid is not just a Visa card. BusyKid is an app and card working together to help teach kids and teens how to manage “invisible” money. Parents pay an allowance or add money to a child account on the app, and parent or child can load it on the card. 

BusyKid lets kids practice important real-life lessons from the palm of their hands. Parents set the chores, kids complete them, and allowance is direct deposited each Friday. BusyKid main features include:

• Each week a percentage of weekly allowance is saved automatically.
• Kids learn the importance of giving back by donating a percentage of their allowance to charity.
• The BusyKid Visa® Prepaid Spend Card gives your kids the freedom to spend anywhere Visa® is accepted, and parents see every transaction made.
• BusyPay™ feature which allows any friend or family member to add money to a child account through a QR code sent to them.