Let’s play a game my children love: “Would You Rather?”
Would you rather enter adulthood with a firm understanding of how your parents managed their money (including earning money; paychecks and taxes; budgeting; wise spending; saving; loans and debt; credit and debit cards; savings accounts; giving; and investing) or would you rather enter adulthood with minimal knowledge of how your parents earned, saved, and spent?
Of course, I already know your answer. Though as a parent I know it’s easier to independently purchase our family needs than include the children in the process. After all, money management is a private and complex matter. And as a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI), I know there are seemingly endless skills to teach our students, leaving minimal time to educate students on money management.
This leaves me with a posed question and a resource.
Question: For those who do train your teenage child or consumer in managing money, what suggestions and resources do you have for those who desire to begin the process?
Resource: I recommend utilizing CareerConnect’s Money Management lesson series. You’ll find eleven lessons with the following topics: spending wisely, saving money, thinking about expected expenses, creating a budget, understanding paychecks, utilizing a checking account, utilizing a savings account, understanding loans and debt, learning the difference between credit and debit cards, investing into stocks and bonds, and giving.
The lessons also provide natural teaching opportunities for acquiring a signature, check writing, ATM usage, and debit/credit card usage. As you know, these skills and many money management concepts must be directly taught to students with minimal vision.
It’s not too late and it’s never too early to teach money management concepts. Let’s support one another and prepare teenagers with vision loss for managing money in adulthood.