Friday Roundup: Giving Young People a Financial Education

Happy Friday DINKS!

Today we are discussing our pre DINK lives. Before we were DINKS we were young adults, and before that we were teenagers.  What was your financial education as a teenager? I grew up in a family that had everything because our parents grew up with without any things. I wouldn’t say that my parents lived their childhood through my sister and I, but they definitely worked hard to give us all of the material things and experiences that they could not have.

I am lucky to have both street smarts as well as book smarts when it comes to personal finance. I learned about finance both from my own experiences as well as a University Graduate with a BA in Economics.  However, my formal financial education came later in life; my real financial education came in my teenage years as I learned from my own money mistakes.

I am a firm believer that it is ok to make mistakes as long as we learn from the experience. It may be a different financial world today for teenagers and young adults.  Maybe teenagers are learning about money management in high school, and maybe they are reading financial blogs after school.  I wish that I learned about money management, personal savings, investments, and the dangers of debt in my teenage years.

Here are some great posts from around the web about young people and money:

• Money Crashers lists the 15 Best Part Time Jobs for High School Students just in case the teenagers are reading.  It is very important to learn valuable money management at an early age in life.
• Money Crush discusses installing good financial values at a young age in the post Teaching Kids About Money. She emphasizes the fact that parents should apply everyday situations to their Childs financial education.  Parents shouldn’t just tell their kids about money, they should show them…in detail.
• Financial Samurai warns us Don’t Have Children If You Can’t Take Care of Yourself.  I couldn’t agree more!!!!  This is the exact reason why I do not have kids.  This post discusses the job security that comes along with having children, and how emotions play a role in both our money management as well as our careers.
• Yes I Am Cheap emphasizes the role of a parent in a Childs upbringing in the post Don’t Be An Absentee Father Like Mine. The financial contribution of a parent towards a Childs upbringing is important, but it is not as important as spending quality time together.  As angry as I am at my Dad right now because he is letting his new wife tear our family apart, I am glad that I didn’t have to grow up without him.
• Man vs. Debt tells his personal story about the recent loss of their second child in the post Thoughts on Losing an Unborn Child.  My heart goes out to Adam and Courtney Baker.  I am not sure what someone should say to a parent who lost their child but the Baker Family has my prayers, sympathies, and condolences.  Xoxo Adam and Courtney from Kristina @ DINKS.

Have a great weekend all!

Photo by SCA