Nathan and Ryan had a “job” over the holidays watching the neighbor Tom’s two cats and taking care of the plants. They’ve done this job before, apparently well enough to get asked back. Actually, they take the job seriously. I know, because the rubber tree plants gave them quite a scare. About two weeks into the three week stint, Nathan and Ryan came back from Tom’s house looking a little worried. It had been unusually cold in our little town of Rocklin. …
Nathan was headed out to Kragen’s the other day to buy some items for his car. He loves his car and spends a lot of time…and money…on it. I don’t know where this kid came from. The rest of us look at cars as a tool to get us from point A to point B. I asked Nathan why he didn’t get his supplies at Walmart which I was sure would be cheaper. “Yeah, I know Walmart is cheaper. But I love talking…
I just finished reading the book, Investing 101, by Kathy Kristof. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about basic investing…enough to have a diversified portfolio. And certainly enough to be able to have investing discussions with the elementary and middle school students I work with. But continued education is always a good idea. Besides, in the financial world, things change so it’s important to keep up with them. After reading the book, I gave myself a pat on the back…not because I…
Nathan and I were “KidsSaving” his recent transactions yesterday. That’s when we reconcile his bank statement with his KidsSave Account. But it’s also when we make sure that his recent charity contributions or other expenses, get recorded. He looked at the balance of his bank statement with wide eyes and said, “That’s all I have in the bank?” It was over $400 so I was a little surprised at his concern. “Haven’t you been keeping track in your registry?” I…
I was having coffee with some friends last week when we started talking about why having a job as a teenager may be a really good thing. Of course, from a teens perspective, the extra cash is always nice. But as a parent, there’s nothing like a “real” job to teach kids a few life lessons. A week earlier, I had a phone interview with a freelance writer about teens and working. She asked if I thought having teens work was a…