Personal Finance Information |
What Are We Teaching our 2005 Graduates about Money?
Now that we are in the month of June I can't help but wonder if we have prepared our new graduates for the responsibility of managing and budgeting their money. I had a very interesting conversation with my God-son, a recent graduate from a local Los Angeles high school. He assured me that he is ready to take on the responsibility of purchasing a used car because he was working par-time for a fast food restaurant. When I asked him how much money he had saved he quickly told me that he hasn't received his first paycheck yet, but would appreciate money as a graduation gift to purchase a vehicle. We talked about the value of saving as well as more responsible things he could do with the money he was earning. I explained to him that having a job was a good step towards saving for a car. However, he was still lacking in responsibility for assuming everyone else would buy the car for him. I strongly agree with the lending belief of banks, "if you can't come to the table with some of your own money, I can't give you my money." So our conversation ended with an agreement that he would cover insurance and gas with his income and save at least 10% for college expenses and I would send him a cash gift towards the purchase of his vehicle as a graduation gift. I do understand that now days getting a car as a graduation gift is much more common then when I graduated from high school. However, I would rather teach graduates the importance of being responsible with their money then fashionable with their peers. What are we teaching them by having the mandatory cell phones, computers, credit cards, digital cameras, dvd players, and mp3 players? I think the message is pretty clear, "consume more, save less and stay in debt." Well, pretty soon he will be off to college where he will be bombarded with credit card applications, cell phone companies and many other vendors enticing him to get into debt. Hopefully he can learn how to be responsible with money before he earns his college degree. Otherwise my next gift will be for him to attend my debt management class. I don't think he would like that very much. All Rights Reserved Dina D. Harbour,
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 403, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Saving Money On Gasoline For Your Automobile The gas that we fill our tanks with every week adds up to be quite an expensive bill over the months and years. Thirty dollars a week in gas adds up to over $1500 a year. Want Your Savings to Earn a Higher Rate of Return? Try Internet Banking Doesn't it seem like the only impressive numbers we've seen this summer are the digits on the thermostat and the unaffordable prices of homes? Real estate has been excruciatingly hot for the past few years, but getting in the market now puts you in the high-risk category for a heat stroke if the market decides to cool off this year.So if a real estate induced stroke doesn't appeal to you and the stock market's roller coaster ride gives you motion sickness, it's very likely that you as a health-conscious investor are sitting on a stash of cash collecting an anemic rate of interest. Personal Checks - Extreme Benefits Millions of people have a checking account and many people have two of three. They have the choice of choosing a variety of check designs to compliment the checking account. Single Mother and Learning how to Save Saving may seem easier if you were saving for a new car, or a vacation however when it comes to saving in general it may prove to be more challenging because you may not necessarily feel you are receiving a reward from it. However saving pays off, especially as a single mother. Students Investing in Their Future Need to Manage Their Finances Today With the A-level results coming out, the long wait for UK school leavers hoping to go to university will soon be over. All the hard work that has been put into achieving the grades required will now pay off and the fun and freedom that is student life can begin. Identity Theft - More Tips on How it Can Be Avoided Recent security breaches at several credit card companies continue to worry Americans, as stolen financial information can lead to identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone obtains your Social Security number and/or other vital information and uses it to pose as you. Improve Your Professional Image Using Address Labels One of the simplest ways to improve your professional image is by using address labels. Self-adhesive business labels are THE way to go when it comes to a professional image. Photo Checks - A Great Alternative in Checking It's the little things in life that make it interesting. Everyday life can be so boring at times. Im Broke, How Can I Afford... I'm still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining that they don't have any money to put into their business and that they're broke.I mean what have you been doing with your money man?!?Plain Truth: If you don't have any money you won't make it my friend? it's that simple. Bank On It: Places to Hide and Invest Money Today I passed a thermometer at a bank that read 110 degrees, but I am not telling you that to show you how hot it was. I am telling you that because this bank really needs to fix their thermometer. 10 Quick And Cheap Ways To Cut Your Heating Bill When you received an energy (heating) bill last winter, were you afraid to open it? Granted that we have a home with a lot of really big windows, but we saw energy bills last winter in the hundreds of dollars. Your bill probably wasn't that bad but I'm guessing that it was a lot higher than you would have liked. Basic Bank Accounts Failing the Basic Needs of Consumers The lists of bank and savings accounts that are available to most people are bewildering. A quick look at a comparison site like Moneynet or Moneyfacts will reveal thousands of different products. UK Graduates Looking Short-Term At Their Long-Term Financial Responsibilities With almost two thirds of university entrants from England and Wales who applied for maintenance grants for this year being unsuccessful, and the average graduate owing £13,501 when they leave, according to Barclays, combined with a survey by High Fliers Research showing that only 21% of students were confident of managing to enter a graduate-level job this year, it is not surprising that there is a feeling of gloom hanging over many UK university entrants.According to a survey of students from 30 institutions; 63% believed there are not enough graduate jobs for everyone leaving university this year, with a fifth stating that they felt that there were only limited jobs available. Developing a budget? Watch out for Those Budget-Bursting Gremlins If you've developed a household budget to get your spending back in line or to just reduce stress, good for you! Creating and sticking to a budget isn't easy by all means. But it represents the best way by far to manage your finances so you can relax and worry about other things. 10 Steps to Take if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims on America and over 40% of all consumer complaints in the U. First Checking Account - When is it Time? We all know that money doesn't grow on trees, but we all need it to survive. The use of cash will only go so far in life, as you can't send it through the mail. If All Things Are Possible, Why Cant I Balance My Checkbook? For me, the most terrible time of each month is the day our bank statement comes. We commonly call it BSS (Bank Statement Syndrome). The Magic Of Compound Interest Christians are called to be good stewards of God's resources. A steward can be described as someone who manages the resources of another. Save On Food - Ten Tips To save on food, be an opportunist. Buy what you like, but buy on sale. The World is Not Enough - Calling for a More Ethical Approach to Personal Finance At a time when the entire world's attention is focused on the problems of world debt, with the Live 8 concerts, the G8 summit in Scotland, the Make Poverty History Campaign (MPH) and the various anti-poverty marches, it seems that everyone wants the world's governments to behave more ethically towards the manner in which international finance is conducted. This is obviously a laudable attitude to take, and has gained immense momentum with such a groundswell of public opinion that even the UK Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has stated he is planning to participate in the Make Poverty History demonstration in Edinburgh during the G8 summit. |
home | site map | contact us |