Kids and Money

Here's how to teach your children the value of money, establish an allowance system and get them to save.

A family money-management plan with any hope of success will have to include the kids -- which is easier said than done. You can teach your 4-year-old to close the front door, but you can't expect him to understand that you don't want to pay for air-conditioning the whole neighborhood. A teenager, on the other hand, should understand that and more.

Lessons in financial responsibility must take into account a child's age and level of maturity, but there are general guidelines you can follow.

• Teach Kids the Value of Money
  Here's how to encourage financial responsibility and what you can expect of your children.

• Allowance: When and How Much?
  Start at an appropriate age so kids can start learning how to handle money.

• Using Money to Reward or Punish
  Cash as an incentive should only be used in small amounts in select circumstances.

• Ways to Give Money to Children
  Custodial accounts and trusts are ways to transfer cash to your kids.

Adapted from Kiplinger's Practical Guide to Your Money, by the Editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine (Kaplan Publishing. Copyright 2005 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.) Available wherever books are sold or direct at kiplinger.com/store/books.

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