Regardless of how old your child is, it’s never too late to teach him how to properly handle his money. The lessons that you can teach your teenager are vitally important. He is on the verge of being on his own. If he doesn’t know how to handle his money the right way, you are going to have to watch him endure years of financial woes. Take what little time you have left as an authority in his life and show him how it’s done.

Checking and Savings
Start by opening checking and savings accounts under your teen’s name. Whether she have a part-time job or just does some babysitting on the weekends, use the opportunity to show her that its better to use a checking account so that you can keep track of where the money goes.

Sit down with her each month when the account statement comes in and be sure she understands how to balance her checkbook. Explain the importance of recording every transaction in the register and figuring the current balance after each purchase or deposit.
Be sure that she understands the ATM balance shown after a withdrawal is rarely accurate and to never depend on it.

These tasks may seem common sense, but many people have no idea. I have a close friend who works in banking and she could tell you crazy stories. For example, she has many people who have bounced checks and swear by the fact that they thought there was still money in the bank just because there were still checks in their checkbook (Hello!)

Establish a Budget
Help your teen come up with her own budget to determine how her personal earnings will be spent. Determine whether she will be responsible for paying the insurance on her car, what she will be putting in savings each month, if she will be responsible for buying her own new clothes, etc. Compare her budget to the family budget so that she gains an understanding of how easy she really has it at this stage in her life.

Make a chart, indicating each spending category and how much each is allotted every month. Have your teen keep tabs on how much is left in the budget by writing down what she spends in each category and how much remains after that purchase. This will help her to know where she is overspending and to see how she can stick with it. It may be difficult for her in the beginning, but she’ll get it eventually.

Teach Real Debt
Nothing gets me more that parents who buy their teen a brand new Mustang for their 16th birthday… and, when he totals it, a Mustang convertible to replace it. Grrr. Those parents aren’t teaching their kids anything except that they can always count on daddy to get them whatever they want.

If you want your teenage to understand the real world, then teach him what it means to really be in debt. Go ahead and buy him a car, if you have the means, but get something more reasonable (say, less than $5,000) and have your child pay you back, with interest.

Make a monthly payment plan – something that is feasible based upon your teen’s income. Predetermine a percentage rate that won’t overwhelm him, but will convey the weight interest bears to him. Five percent is a good number.

Put the entire matter in writing, and be sure to include what the consequences will be for a late or missed payment (loss of driving privileges, TV time, etc.). Having a written document as a reference point helps to eliminate excuses. Also, map out a “loan payoff” chart, showing when each payment should be made and what remains on the loan after its application, all the way to zero. This will help your teen to see how much they will really be paying in the end and just how long it takes to get out of debt.

I also recommend you show them how long it would take to pay off (and how much more it would be) if they purchased the car on a credit card with the average 18-21% interest rate. I would imagine this would deter your teen from ever wanting to use a credit card for anything they couldn’t pay off each month.

In my opinion, this method is far more effective than the “prepaid card” that many parents use because the prepaid card is not teaching them the reality of debt. All it teaches is that prepayment is different from debt, but not the consequences and hardships debt can bring. Many teens end up getting a credit card anyway when they move out, without the proper education on how to handle one.

Truthfully, the possibilities are endless for teaching your teenagers about money. Anything you can do to help them understand being on their own (anything comparable to what you do) will help tremendously. Just don’t give up and don’t get frustrated. It will be well worth it to see them succeed.

Related Readings:
• BusinessWeek.com: Teens, young adults need money skills
• About.com: Teach Your Teen Financial Responsibility
• FamilyEducation.com: 5 Steps to Teach Your Teen to Budget
• FinancialLiteracy.com: Teaching Your Teen About Money

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