The Best Articles About Kids And Money

We’re constantly scouring the web for the best articles about teaching kids good money habits. When we find them, we add the very best ones here. The most recent ones are up top. Enjoy!

Find one we missed? Contact us and we’ll add it.

2022

• Best Age for Kids to Start Doing Chores — Solid advice on kids and chores with some research to back it up.
• How We’re Establishing a Family Money Philosophy with Our Kids — This wonderfully thoughtful article is an excellent read for parents teaching their children about money.

  Be sure to read all the way through to the “pant folding” discussion. You’ll see.

  Some other highlights:

  I’m a huge fan of this calm, non-judgmental parental response to the inevitable comparison pushback that’s so common with kids (especially when it comes to money matters and consumption): “Different families do things differently. This is what our family does.”

  “For kids, there’s something deeply appealing about doing an adult thing for real.” Bingo! And, eventually, that includes using cards and engaging in ecommerce. Cash/coins are still a reasonable initial starting point, but they run out of steam very quickly in today’s world.

2020

• Why Is Financial Literacy Important and What Every Parent Needs to Know About It | Hint — Starting Early Matters — Wondering why you should take the time to teach your child about money? John sums it up perfectly in this article.

2019

• Give Your Teenager a Credit Card? Some Financial Experts Say Yes — The ins and outs of getting your teen a credit card, including co-signing versus adding your teen as an authorized user. In the end, financial educators recommend starting with a debit card.
• 14 Ways Your Kid Can Earn Cash This Summer — If your child is younger, doesn’t have a formal summer job lined up, or just needs some extra income, check out these excellent summer side gig suggestions from personal finance expert, Beth Kobliner.
• Should You Tell Your Teenager How Much Money You Make? — Have you discussed your family finances with your teen yet? Here’s a good article to read as you prepare to do so, with good points to consider from Manisha Thakor and Beth Kobliner. I like Manisha’s three bucket communication strategy and bias toward transparency. As Beth points out, your finances are laid bare in the FAFSA senior year of high school anyway, so it makes sense to get ahead of that milestone and pave the way with lots of thoughtful discussions beforehand.
• I Just Want My Kids To Be [Fill In The Blank] — A great topic for a Sunday reflection from EconDad. The word “fulfilled” comes to mind for my list (“satisfied or happy because of fully developing one’s abilities or character”). You?

2018

• Happy Children Do Chores — Seeking sound justifications for making your kids do chores? Or, perhaps just motivation to keep up the good fight as you fend off their endless protestations? This article is for you — courtesy of KJ Dell’Antonia of the New York Times. Good stuff.
• What the Marshmallow Test Can Teach Us About Money — Is the ability for a child to delay gratification a strong predictor of success in life? The famous Marshmallow Test of 1990 found emphatically that it is. But years later, it’s been re-tested. The results yield interesting refinements on the original theories — especially when you take into account variations in socioeconomic status. For example, if you’re raised in a scarcity environment, then yes, you’re gonna eat that darn marshmallow immediately! Makes sense. J.D. Roth of GetRichSlowly provides a thoughtful summary and analysis of the findings, along with related musings on the “money scripts” parents plant in their kids’ heads. What money scripts are you seeding? Check it out.
• Should I Pay My Kids To Get Better Grades In School? — If you’ve paying your kids for good grades in school (or considering it), read this post for some excellent points to consider. Also, check out this related tip: Pay For The Studying Not The Grade, If At All.
• Teaching Kids to Spend: Part 5 — Think Before You Spend — These are fantastic spending questions to review with your kids (and yourself), courtesy of The National Bank of Mom.
• Um, I Was Told to Stop Talking to My Kid About Money... — What if your parents tell you to stop talking to your young kids about money and “just let them be kids”? Nah. Ignore them if you’re going about it the way Jim is with his 7 year old daughter.
• Most States Don’t Require Specific Financial Literacy Classes — Ann Carrns of the New York Times surveys the state of personal finance education in the US. Sadly, it remains in a sorry state with just a few bright spots, like Next Gen Personal Finance. We need to keep pushing to do more in schools and more at home.
• The Right Way To Give Your Teen An Allowance — The typical allowance cadence is weekly. So, if kids mess up with overspending, they know the next infusion of funds is only days away. But learning to stretch funds out over a longer timeframe is a critical life skill. That’s why I love this article from personal finance columnist Liz Weston.

2017

• 21 Things You Should Make Your Kids Pay For — Whether your kids are youngsters, preteens, or teens, they should be paying for some things themselves. Why? Decision-making practice, gratitude, and work ethic for starters. What kinds of things? Check out this excellent list and thoughtful commentary.
• How to Teach Kids to Be Savvy Shoppers — Teaching your kids about money doesn’t require some elaborate structured lesson. Little everyday conversations will leave a lasting impact. Kerry delivers a simple blueprint you can use with your kids to turn them into thoughtful consumers.
• Fixing A Broken Watch and A Broken Heart — Spending $100 to Fix a $50 Watch — There’s a fantastic money lesson for your kids in this poignant story about a teen and his great-grandfather. Warren Buffett says: “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.” In this rare case, the price seems high at first glance, but the value is nearly infinite. Liz’s lovely post shares some themes with this post about skip-generation relationships.
• Sugar ’N’ Spice ’N’ Everything Priced (To Fit Your Budget) — I love the exercise Beth lays out here. Two life skills in one for your kids: personal finance and cooking. Plus an added bonus: quality time together.
• Raising Wealthy Kids: Stocks, Index Funds and Halloween — Ms. Montana uses a Halloween candy analogy to teach her 10 year old the basics of index funds. It’s brilliant! The analogy works for kids of all ages — even adults. Smarties might be Netflix. Almond Joy might be General Electric. But buy a nice mix, and you’re sure to get plenty of good stuff. Me? I’ll take the Bogle Mix!
• Equifax FAQs: Answers to Potential Hack Victims’ Most Common Questions — Concerned about protecting your kids from potential fall-out from the epic Equifax data breach? Good info here for parents.
• Genius Hack To Get Your Kid To Take Better Care Of Their Belongings — We love this tip involving teaching your kids the concept of resale value and letting them share in the rewards of maintaining it. The article highlights a wonderful quote from one of our favorite books on teaching kids good money habits: “One of the most valuable lifelong financial services that you can perform for your children, I believe, is to help them begin to think of themselves as the owners of their lives, rather than renters or squatters — in other words, to help them begin to take personal responsibility in the broadest possible sense.” ~ David Owen, The First National Bank of Dad.
• The 10 Commandments for Kids and Money — Jim lays out the 10 money guidelines he’d like his seven year old daughter to gradually learn before she leaves the nest. It’s a great exercise to think through early. Time flies! Maybe even scribble your money commandments on an index card, and tape it to your desk or computer as a constant reminder. What would your 10 money commandments be?
• Saving Money For Kids — A Primer On Kids Accounts — Chief Mom Officer runs down a list of reasonable places to stash your kid’s savings with a synopsis, pros, and cons for each: bank savings account, custodial account, 529, savings bonds, CoverdellEducational Savings (ESA) account, Roth IRA, and traditional IRA. (Oh yeah, and don’t forget a savings card earning parent-paid interest.)
• How Empowering My Kids to Make Money Decisions Raised Their Financial Game — Back-To-School shopping is a valuable financial literacy opportunity for your kids. If you do it like this.
• How To Make Your Teen Into A Millionaire — We can never resist a good article about our favorite financial parenting hack for working teens: The Family 401(k). Liz Weston explains how Roth IRAs can set kids up for sound financial futures and encourage a solid work ethic along the way. Double win.
• Money Conversations To Have With Your First-Year College Kid — Kid headed off to college? Joanna provides an excellent checklist of money topics to cover.
• How To Teach Your Preschooler About Money — Several excellent, practical tips for teaching young kids (ages 3 to 5) good money habits. Chelsea’s tips are grouped by 4 key concepts: the value of a dollar, wants vs. needs, delaying gratification, and philanthropy.
• My Kid Is Not Motivated By Money — Don’t be surprised if your kid doesn’t respond to monetary incentives — especially in the younger years. Maggie outlines a classic example in this article about trying to motivate her 11 year old to do school packets over the summer. Often, spending just isn’t on the radar and the opportunity to earn extra funds simply isn’t compelling. That said, as kids become more independent and social, their attitudes toward money can change dramatically.
• Teaching Kids About Money — Savings Bond Edition — Got any old savings bonds laying around in your safety deposit box? Good opportunity to teach kids about compound interest. And the rule of 72!
• The Simple (But Effective Way) I Taught My Son About Credit — Does your youngster ever borrow money to buy something while you’re in the store and then forget to pay you back? Here’s a clever way to turn that scenario into a thoughtful personal finance lesson.
• Does your kid get an allowance? — Good allowance ideas here collected from some of our favorite personal finance bloggers (parent-paid interest, hybrid models, splitting in buckets, and more).
• 12 Things I Learned From Doing My Own Taxes — Kid’s Corner — You’ve heard us rave about setting up a Roth IRA for your working teen with that first W-2 wage earning job and then helping out with contributions as a gift. It’s a Family 401(k), and it’s one of the smartest financial moves you can make for your kid. What if you want to start a Roth IRA even earlier for a child who’s earning money through a typical side-gig like babysitting? Then you’ll want to read this fabulous article to learn all about the tax implications.
• Why Tough Summer Jobs Beat Summer School For Teens — Chelsea shares 5 important life lessons she learned working long, tough hours during the summer at a local tobacco farm. Here’s why you want to give your teen the gift of a summer of hard labor.
• Bust Your Phone Again? These Teens Are Here to Help — For a Price — This Wall Street Journal article will inspire your budding kidpreneur. Some teens are really killing it by running their own businesses fixing smart phones with broken screens. They’re learning a lot about entrepreneurship along the way. Impressive.
• Kids & Money: Counterintuitive Advice that Works! — Farnoosh offers four excellent tips for teaching kids about money that sound wrong at first blush, but turn out to be very right. The topics are allowance, handling wants, fielding awkward money questions, and encouraging savings.
• Why Your Teen Should Work Part Time During the School Year — Part-time jobs with reasonable time demands have lots of potential benefits for teens: better grades, lower drop out rates, better time management skills, eligibility for Roth IRA contributions (offer a match if you can!) — oh, and more spending money too.
• Five Common Mistakes People Make When Paying for College — Some wise college financial planning points from the Wall Street Journal. For example, this 529 nugget: “If your child wins a scholarship or goes to a military service academy, you can withdraw the equivalent amount from the account without penalty (you’ll have to pay income taxes on the portion that represents your gains, but not on your contributions).”
• Nerd Gone Wild — Jonathan Clements made an early plan to get his kids invested. Our go-to plan has always been the “Family 401k” — opening a Roth IRA with that first summer job. But starting at birth is even better. Check it out. What’s your plan?
• Grown-Up Lessons From A Lemonade Stand — Thinking about setting up a lemonade stand with your child to teach some lessons on entrepreneurship? Read this first for ideas on how to do it right!
• Does Your Teen Have to Pay Taxes? — Emily Guy Birken provides solid, detailed info on tax considerations for your working teen.
• Mo Money, No Problems — Here’s a creative, effective way to teach teens about money in a seminar setting.
• Beyond the Lemonade Stand: The 40 Best Business Ideas for Kids — Side Hustle Nation’s Nick Loper hits up his friends for their best kidpreneur suggestions.

2015

• Why You Should Tell Your Children How Much You Make — Ron Lieber’s take on this classic awkward money question from kids: Discussions about family finances can start early and fit a child’s age and ability to understand, but they shouldn’t be avoided.