April is Financial Literacy month - that's no "April Fools" joke! You may not think of yourself as a money mentor, but if you're a parent, you're a money mentor.
Just as we all have different money styles due to upbringing and life experience, we all have different parenting styles. These two style factors merge and sometimes clash the instant you gaze into the eyes of your newborn baby.
Spending and planning issues flash before you on a daily basis. Everything from clothing to cribs to college savings can turn that divine bliss into an angry hiss over money matters!
Meanwhile, that baby grows and grows, noticing all kinds of things about you. Even how you handle your money.
Let's call this merged parental identity "Money Model" because that's what kids remember most. I'll never forget a psychology professor of mine saying, "Kids are wonderful observers but lousy interpreters." Here are some examples.
Confusing Messages
A parent tells kids it's important to live within their means. That's good advice. But if the kids are young, they have no idea what that means, do they? Somewhat older kids may know what living within your means signifies. But perhaps they've seen credit cards used for years and have noticed piles of credit card bills at home. Which message sticks? Live within your means, or debt is ok? More than likely, rather than living within their means when they grow up, they think, "No problem. If I don't have the money to buy something, I'll charge it."
And what if those credit cards are actually used for convenience only? You pay off the entire balance every month. Great discipline. Maybe it even brings a wealth of frequent flyer miles or other incentives! But how do your kids know? You must tell them. Share your wisdom about money in a coaching style. There are ways to teach and coach them even if you don't want them to know your specific numbers.
Remember, as the professor said, children are 'lousy' interpreters. They make up conclusions as they go. More often than not, those conclusions have errors, especially if they've never been taught how credit cards or other lending works. Next thing you know, they're grown up, guided by their mistaken interpretations and they don't even realize it.
The best combination is to be both "Money Mentor" and "Money Model" - coaching good basic financial principles and modeling them as well.
For older kids, have them guess how many dollars in interest would be charged on a $1000 credit card balance at 18% if only the minimum due is paid. Here's where you can tell them how much of that is for groceries, gas for the car, and new shoes for the summer. How long would it take to pay it off assuming a $40 per month payment (4% of $1000)?
Some credit cards only charge 2% for their monthly minimum payment. What is the interest charge, then, if only the minimum payment is made? Again, have them make a guess. Then show them the results - you can use online calculators like Creditkarma.com, or many others.
Answers to the above credit card payoff questions:
On a $1000 balance, paying $40/month at 18% interest (with no additional charges):
It would take 32 months to pay it off
The interest charges would be $263
On the same $1000 balance, paying half the above amount, so $20/month at 18% interest:
(Logic might say, half as much is being paid so it would take twice as long, right?)
WRONG!
It would take 94 months to pay it off (vs. 32 months) - nearly triple the time.
The interest charges would be $862 (vs. $263) - more than triple the dollars!
Financial Education for High School Students
In teaching a basic financial principles class to about 7000 local high school seniors over 11 years, NONE of them knew this credit card reality of how compound interest can work against you. It was the topic they most often mentioned as being very helpful afterwards.
Try out additional scenarios using online calculators so your young mentees can see the big differences. Show paying higher amounts to see how much less the interest charges are and how much more quickly it's paid off.
These credit card calculations with positive coaching can make a HUGE difference for kids' futures. It motivates most people to make higher payments toward getting rid of the debt. It sheds a new light on spending decisions, too. And that's more than an ounce of prevention!
April's Financial Literacy Month
We can all help raise the financial literacy of young people by sharing a few helpful lessons. It's a great reinforcement for our own mindfully good habits with money, too. Teaching about adequate savings is also important. Keeping spending in control is the key to being able to create savings. Without that, all too often savings doesn't happen at all.
Preventing credit card debt is a great place to start as a money mentor/coach. Why not celebrate finishing your taxes by doing a little mentoring?
When you've got a computer as your teaching and mentoring tool, it's a powerful ally. Kids are more likely to "listen" to it in a meaningful way, especially if they participate in the interactions.
Best wishes as a learner and a mentor during April - financial literacy month!