Should I Tell My Kids About the Family Finances?
Could you tell me how much money your parents made each year when you were ten years old? Probably not. I bet most people couldn’t. Why is that? Because families don’t talk about money a lot, and they especially don’t talk about it with their kids. Most kids will have no clue if their parents have a lot of money unless they happen to get a bunch of extra expensive gifts this year for Christmas, and they don’t know the family is struggling unless the family vacation is canceled this year, or their parents bring home a box of donated cans from a food drive.
Most parents believe it is not appropriate to tell their kids about their money such as how much they make and how much they spend. They basically feel it is none of their business. You could easily agree, but should you? Is it really none of their business? Doesn’t their parent’s income affect them? They use the money to pay for their food, clothes, shelter, and the things they want. If they suddenly didn’t have a job, wouldn’t the lack of income affect them, therefore making it their business?
I’m not going to say you should show your kids every paycheck before cashing it or that you should have your kids help make important financial decisions, but I will say you should keep them involved and informed. It is part of teaching them about money and life. Your kids follow your every move and learn from you. If they see that money isn’t important and nobody talks about it, they will put no importance on it when they are older.
You have to teach your kids about money because they won’t learn it in school. It would be great if they had finance class in high school, but they don’t. As a parent, it’s important that you teach them about saving, investing, and staying away from credit. Also, you have to be managing your own money well if you really want to get through to them.
Talk to your kids about the family finances. Tell them how much your salary is. It might help them decide their own career choice if they like what you do. Tell them how you budget your own money and talk to them before you buy big purchases such as a new car. Include them in the process so that they know how it works and are familiar with it before they go through it themselves. You can include them more and more as they get older. Don’t make money a taboo issue in your home. Promote financial discussion and financial literacy to ensure future financial success.
Written by: Samantha Asher
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Tagged as business relations, family finances, learn about business, learn about money, money, relations + Categorized as Economy articles