Mary Hunt
Children inherit physical traits from their parents. But there’s something else they inherit that many parents don’t consider???their financial behaviors.
Most parents believe that kids should start learning how to manage money before they start kindergarten. But many admit they don’t know where to start or what to teach.
From the moment they’re born, kids learn how to live by observing their parents. You can start teaching your kids about money by simply explaining to them what you’re doing when you make day-to-day saving and spending decisions. And the stuff you don’t want them to pick up? Stop doing it. And even when you blow it, don’t stop. Let real life give you the opportunity to teach your children what to do under those circumstances, too.
Never spend it all. Show your children how to save money. Tell them what a retirement account is and how interest works to make money grow. Most importantly, teach them that they’ll never be broke if they always save for the future.
Delay gratification. Look for opportunities to explain the principle of delayed gratification. Patience builds character. It’s better to save now and pay later. Teach kids the difference between needs and wants. Children need to understand how making financial sacrifices today can improve their financial situations in the future. It’s good for children to yearn. Having all they want whenever they want it does not prepare them to thrive in the real world.
Spending choices. Kids assume that if you have enough money you can have everything you want. And if you have everything you want then you are happy. Hmmm ... wonder where they got that?
Never tell your kids, “We can’t afford it.” Think about it. That tells the kids the only reason you can’t buy this or that is because we are poor and pathetic. If we had more money then we would be happy because we could buy whatever we want. Instead, tell your kids, “We don’t choose to spend our money that way.” Much better because you’ve established the principle that life is about choices. And making the right choices builds character. Now the subject isn’t about money, but rather about values.
Compare prices. The grocery store is a great place to show the kids how you compare unit prices???the price per ounce for example. Show them that just because something is on sale doesn’t mean it’s the best value. Comparing prices is like getting a second opinion so you can make the best decision.
How banks work. Kids think ATM machines are magic, so this is a lesson you need to address soon. They see you stick a plastic card in the slot and out pops money. Better still, you get to keep the magic plastic. The underlying truth in all of banking is that you have to deposit more than you withdraw; you can only take out what you’ve put in.
Kids also think that as long as there are checks in the checkbook, there’s money in the bank. You too, huh?
Teach the kids how a checking account works. Let them catch you in the act of paying bills, recording the checks you write and reconciling the monthly statement. Show the kids something really cool at Mvelopes (www.debtproofliving.mvelopes.com). This is an online budgeting system that turns your checking account into a visual playground where you divvy up your money into tiny envelopes. It’s fun and will visualize for the kids (for you, too) what it means to “pre-spend” your income.
Debit and credit cards. Your kids are growing up in a plastic world. It’s important that they understand as soon as possible what that means. First it’s easy to spend up a mountain of debt or blow through the contents of a bank account with just a little piece of plastic. But more importantly there’s a big world of consumer credit pulling on them to use plastic to live beyond their means.
Even if you’ve made mistakes in this area of consumer credit, you can make that a learning experience for your kids. You don’t need to reveal all of the details, but an occasional financial faux pas can provide a great opportunity to humanize money management. Kids benefit from seeing how problems are solved, too.
Talking frequently to your kids will give you the opportunity to communicate about life’s many lessons.
Teaching your kids about money will be eye-opening and fulfilling for them.
For you, too.
"Debt-Proof Living" was founded in 1992 by Mary Hunt. What began as a newsletter to encourage and empower people to break free from the bondage of consumer debt has grown into a huge community of ordinary people who have achieved remarkable success in their quest to effectively manage their money and stay out of debt. Today, "Debt-Proof Living" is read by close to 100,000 cheapskates.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Hospital visit
from Veronica Parker
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS
GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS
GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS
GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
2nd Download of the Day: gSyncit (Windows)
Windows only: Synchronize Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook with gSyncit.
This Outlook plug-in supports one-way or two-way synchronization (you can go Google-to-Outlook, Outlook-to-Google or both) and works manually or automatically. After installing the program, look for a new two-button toolbar in Outlook; click the Settings button to access gSyncit's surprisingly robust configuration options.
gSyncit limits you to syncing 365 days in the past and 365 days in the future, which might be a deal-breaker for some users. Even so, this is a really effective way to connect Outlook and Google Calendar. (If you'd rather sync Google Calendar with your cell phone, check out GooSync.) gSyncit requires Windows 2000/XP and Outlook 2003 or later. It's a freebie. Thanks, Travis!
Download of the Day: Google Desktop 5.0 (Windows)
Windows only: Google Desktop 5.0 lets you search your PC, adorn it with gadgets, keep it secure and much more.
Among the highlights of this new version is an expandable preview window that appears on the Desktop search results page. This allows you to peek inside documents and data files without actually having to run the associated application. (To put it another way, you can see if a particular Word file is the one you really wanted, without having to launch Word.)
Google Desktop 5.0 also sports a redesigned, flashier sidebar with some overhauled gadgets and a much slicker Add Gadgets interface. (Much as I hate to say this, everything looks more Vista-like--but that's a good thing.) Finally, the new Desktop promises better security, alerting you when you're about to visit a possible phishing site or install malicious software.
If you're already a Google Desktop user, the new version is a no-brainer update. If you're an XP user who's been tempted by Vista's Sidebar, look no further than Google's robust alternative--which also happens to be a fine desktop-search tool. Finally, don't forget to check out Adam's excellent feature, Get more from Google Desktop.
Google Desktop 5.0, currently in beta, requires Windows 2000, XP or Vista. It's free.
Black belt scheduling with Google Calendar
by Gina Trapani
Web-based calendars have been around for ages, but one year ago Google Calendar came onto the scene and changed the game. Once upon a time Yahoo! Calendar had my heart, but today Y! Calendar looks frumpy and dated next to GCal's slick, dynamic interface, multiple calendar support, fun extras and collaborative features.You can be a scheduling black belt with Google Calendar. Step into my office to learn a few lesser-obvious but super-useful GCal techniques.
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