How many times have you regretted a losing investment or other unsatisfactory financial decision in your life? How often have you or your friends had to live paycheck to paycheck? How often have you looked at your paystub and wondered how you could even exist on such a meager salary? Or why did you get caught up in lifestyle inflation and couldn’t save most of your money when your income was going up? How many times have you failed to invest and lost funds?

Have you ever wondered whether you could avoid financial problems if your parents handled your financial literacy?

So it’s time for you to be the intelligent adult who helps your child learn about finance. The first thing you need to teach them is to save money properly. This is an important life skill that can only be learned through practice and errors. But it’s easier to do it as a child, and the consequences are not so significant.

1. Determine Your Purpose for Saving

When deciding and discussing any financial issues, keep in mind that you communicate with a child. His psyche will not yet understand and accept complex semantic constructs. Everything should be simple for him. Explain the value of money, its essence, and its purpose. Tell about the source of money, show your paystub, and recognize taxes. It will be more comfortable for the child to understand where the money comes from and where it is spent using a visual example.

Determine what the child is saving for. Let him understand and name exactly what he wants. It will be his desire that he wants to achieve. This way, the saving will be more effortless for him.

Without a goal, saving doesn’t make sense. This means catching what you need the money for. Satisfaction will only be achieved if a previously set goal is achieved.

It could be new headphones, rollerblades, or a phone. Don’t underestimate the importance of your child’s wishes. It will be his personal money and his first financial success.

Do not stop him even if his goal seems complicated to you. Leave room for mistakes. He needs them too. Or you will be shocked that he exceeded all your expectations and accumulated a much larger amount of money in a shorter period.

2. Make a financial plan

Moving money around chaotically will never get you anywhere. Just as your parents make their budget for the month or year, help your child plan to reach the goal. Tell him about all the possible sources of his income, mindless spending on unanticipated purposes, and time flow.

Estimate how long it will take to set aside the right amount of money.

Encourage your child to earn. He can already find a part-time job, get paid for the first time, and analyze his paystub. Believe me, this will be an absolute pleasure for him.

You can also offer him extra earnings for cleaning the house, walking the dog, or helping in the garden.

In every way, support your child’s desire to learn, and tell him about current opportunities to make money online, which are available to him now.

Participate in the motivation to save. Offer additional bonuses if a kid reaches a specific amount of money in a limited time.

You can also teach your child the basic principles of investing now. Offer to use his money at interest and put such expected gain right away in his financial plan. Show how it will speed up the savings process.

Basic planning lessons will help balance his budget in adulthood to avoid the harmful effects of lifestyle inflation.

3. Save

The main issue with this item is where money should be kept. Younger children can use a piggy bank. Older kids need to explain the merits of a savings account. Help them understand the prospects for saving cash.

If banknotes are always available, it is more likely to meet immediate needs. In this case, achieving the main goal will become increasingly distant, and the child will become frustrated. The pleasure of spontaneous purchases cannot last.

Talk to your child about keeping track of his expenses. It’s ideal if he will do it on his own. But if he’s too young, help him do it.

Offer to provide a monthly savings account statement to see how his money accumulates and where it is spent.

Show how small purchases distance his primary goal.

Calculate how he can get back the money he spends quickly and write it down.

4. Reach a goal

Don’t stop your children from using the money they have accumulated as they see fit. Maybe with the right amount of money, he decides his goal isn’t worth the effort and will spend the money more wisely.

If you decide to divide the savings for a big purchase, announce your readiness or unwillingness to spend the money now.

Don’t criticize or judge your child’s choice, don’t try to influence his intention. He is learning to make his own decisions. Your task is to guide and help, but by no means interfere.

Acquiring a coveted item will be an excellent achievement for the child. The parent will also feel satisfaction from the financial literacy lesson and the result achieved.

Help with savings for the next goal. Each repetition of the savings algorithm will build the child’s confidence in a successful future.

To sum up

Parents have a huge responsibility for their children’s well-being and safe future. Talk to them about money. What funds are for, how much they need, and what the role of money is in their lives.

Give them a good personal example of proper behavior with finances. Let them see the results of your actions: a new house, an apartment, a car, a trip four times a year, and complete financial independence. This will encourage them to turn to you for help in time and avoid many economic problems in the future.

Become an authority, a mentor, a mentor for your children. You won’t even notice how your financial situation will improve as well. It is the collateral effect of your work on someone else’s happy future.

Think about online or offline financial courses for your kid. Don’t spare any money. It’s the best investment you can make. And your child will undoubtedly be grateful.