Why You Must Maintain an Emergency Fund
Introduction
Money management is an important part of financial prudence and success. This should be taught to everyone from a young age only. It is best to start teaching children about the importance of money to ensure they understand and value it. This will help them become responsible with their money and put it to good use. You can follow the below-mentioned tips to educate your children on the importance of money:
Teach the Concept of Money
The first step towards the financial education of your children is to make them understand the concept of money. Children don’t realize how money is earned and thus usually don’t value it much. You should orient them on how money is earned and that it is a limited resource. Children should be taught about how much different things cost and the process of allocating money to the most relevant purchases. You can take them to nearby shopping store and ask them to buy relevant items on a fixed budget. This will help them to appreciate the value of money and how to use it responsibly.
Introduce Them to the Budgeting Process
Children should be involved in the family budgeting process. this will help them understand the process of how the household budget is made. They will start bifurcating between the necessities and fancy purchases and will learn how to prioritize their money allocation. When they are involved in the budgeting process, they will understand that they only have limited money which has to be put to optimal use. Your children will start understanding how to curtail unnecessary expenses and allocate it to something more important and fruitful.
Allowances Should be Reasonable
It is good to start giving weekly allowances to your children for meeting their expenses. This will teach them how to meet their expenses within a budget. However, the weekly allowance has to be reasonable and should not be too high. A lavish weekly allowance will not teach your children to respect and value their money. The allowances must only cover the basic needs of the children and not fancy items. It is better to communicate with the children clearly about how they should use their weekly allowances. This will remove any confusion pertaining to using their weekly allowances.
Teach Them the Concept of Savings and Investment
It is important to teach your children the concept of savings and investment. You should make them understand that they are supposed to save a part of their weekly allowance. They should understand the importance of savings in life for meeting any unforeseen contingencies. You can start by giving them a piggy bank and ask them to save each week from their weekly allowances. You can also start orienting them gradually on the different investment options available in the market once they have saved enough. This will help them to understand the value of money and how savings and investment can help their money grow further.
Always Emphasize on Using the Money Responsibly
You should always emphasize on making good use of the money to your children. It is very easy and common for children to get carried away with the money. They can use it for fun and spend on unnecessary things. You can teach them the value of money and how it can be put to good use. Making regular donations to charities is one way of inculcating responsible use of money among your children. When your children grow up and start earning, they will follow similar habits and continue to make good use of their hard-earned money. This is also a good way of teaching them about sharing money with the needy and work towards making the world a better place.
