6 Things Financially Confident Kids Should Know

by Marian Nguyen, RN, BSN | Jan 15, 2021 | Family and Life Skills, Money Management, Money Skills

I have a vision. A vision that raising financially confident kids will be an easy-to-do, everyday family routine. Not just the savings and investing portion but also how to manage and make smarter decisions around money in our day-to-day lives.

My dream is that one day, these important money lessons may even be included as a required class in High Schools and Elementary Schools. But we don’t need to wait for that to happen to begin growing financially confident kids. We can start today by teaching our own kids.

I know that in order to make that happen, I need to help as many parents get their household finances in order first. Let’s do this. Not just for our own future but for our kids and their kid’s kids.

Here are 6 things I believe financially confident kids should know. Plus a few tips for how you can begin teaching these lessons to your kids:

What’s a Budget?

Make sure your kids know exactly what a budget is. 

Here is a super kid friendly definition for budgeting. Keeping track of all the money you got and how much of it was used to pay for different things so you know what you have left over.

Including your kids in your family budget planning is a great way to teach them what it takes to run a household at an early age and it’s a lesson they won’t ever forget. 

We recommend including your kids in budget decisions starting at a young age, and inviting them to your family money meetings as soon as they are old enough to grasp what is going on. 

Since our kids were 4 and 6 years old, we’ve had them use piggy banks to start teaching them the concept of earning and saving their money to pay for things.⁠ Now that they are 10 and 12, we’ve been working on introducing the concept of budgeting to them. Kids that grow up in a home where money is discussed openly and honestly, become more conscious and responsible with their own spending and expenses.

How to be Smart with Credit Cards

It’s so easy to accrue extensive credit card debt if you don’t fully understand how they work. I’m guilty myself. At one point, I had over 100K built up. But it’s important to teach kids that when they choose to buy now, pay later – they’re really paying more later due to interest. 

Here is a kid friendly definition of credit. When you buy things at the store now and pay for it later.

And a kid friendly definition of interest. Extra money you have to pay when you don’t pay the bills on time.

Credit cards aren’t all bad, you can use them smartly – but children need to be taught how to. 

Needs vs. Wants

Teaching our kids the difference between a want and a need can be so difficult. While it is tricky to explain to littles and sometimes confusing for them to work out in their minds, it is so important.

Here is a kid friendly definition of need. Things to help you live and grow safely, like clothes, shoes, food, shelter, electricity

And a kid friendly definition of want. Things that helps make life more easy and fun like toys, iPads, and vacations.

Bills

Bills, don’t we all wish we lived a life without them! But that’s not the case, there will always be bills. Financially confident kids need to learn what bills are, how they work, and how they pay them.

Here’s a kid friendly definition of bills. The money you have to pay or owe for different things you use in the house or buy at the store.

Make sure that kids know bills come in lots of different shapes and sizes. The may each have different payment schedules (some bills might be monthly, some quarterly, and some yearly), and they may need to be paid differently (mailed in, in person, or paid electronically – some are even taken directly out of paychecks or accounts). 

Late Fees

When talking about bills, you’ll likely also stumble into a conversation about late fees. This is what happens when bills aren’t paid on time. It’s also how debt can really start to pile on quickly. 

You could explain late fees to your kids by using an example of not cleaning their room each week. If they miss one week, there’s even more to clean up the next week – plus a consequence for not cleaning up in the first place. 

Here is a kid friendly definition of late fees. A charge you pay when they fail to make a payment on time. 

Living Below Your Means

Another important lesson that will help to make your kids financially confident is teaching them to live below their means. It’s best to teach this lesson by example by showing your kids how you budget, where your money goes, and how much you have left after paying bills and spending. You can even take it a step further by establishing a chore and money system in your home and put your child in charge of his/her own finances. 

Are you looking for support in getting your finances in order so you can set a better example for your kids and get them off on the right track? I’d love to help you out! Grab our FREE Family Chore and Money System Guide and get your family started today!