by Cat Jebaily, 9th grader

This Summer I had the opportunity to participate in a financial literacy program through the Girl Scouts and Morgan Stanley. It was a ten hour workshop teaching us about saving, spending, investing, and credit. The course description was: Money Moves: Financial LiteracyGirl Scouts is proud to work with Morgan Stanley to provide an interactive experience designed to equip future savers, spenders, donors, and investors with the knowledge and tools needed to scout better understand money. Middle and High School-aged Girl Scouts (I’ve been a Girl Scout since 1st grade) will have the opportunity to learn about topics often overlooked in school, such as spending, saving, investing, and giving back. Major themes for the program include: Budgeting, the Importance of Saving, Investing 101, Introduction to the Markets, the Basics of Credit, and Giving Back. 

Children these days are more technologically savvy than ever before. Kids tend to use smart devices as early as the age of 3 years old to entertain themselves. The question is, are your devices and accounts secure?

I am sure when you were younger, you have heard the phrase, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Usually, our parents would tell us this mainly because we wanted something that was not a necessity. But as a kid, did we really know what that phrase meant?

We can teach our kids about money, but it will not guarantee that they understand the lesson at that time.

Children need to learn about money that’s age appropriate. They may not need to know how to balance a checkbook at age 8 but they should know that you do. They should also start learning the value of money. They need to understand how money works, such as earning it and spending it.

There are a plethora of ways on how to educate children on financial literacy. It is best to start giving analogies that they would understand. You could use toy money, or take them grocery shopping and show them how you follow your weekly grocery budget.

Teaching kids today will help them in the future. We want to ensure that they are getting exposed to financial literacy as early as possible. Teaching financial responsibility does not have to be “boring.” You can make it fun!

First, you could explore our website here at walterthevault.com where we have games, blogs and books where you can teach your children the importance of saving and spending money.

Second, you can buy toy money and make a game out of it in order to teach them how it works. You could play budgeting games or even teach them how to make change.

You could also give them the opportunity to earn money by giving them an allowance. Having your kids earn money will teach them the importance of the value of the dollar. After they earn their money, you can teach them on the importance of saving the money or how to properly spend it. This way, if your child wants to buy a new toy that is $50, they can save their allowance until they are able to afford it. This way, it makes your child become aware on what needs to be done to reach their $50 goal.

Lastly, have patience with your children. They are not going to become “financial wizards” overnight. Treat this curriculum the same as homework. Try to expose them to financial literacy daily with fun games and lessons that they would sure appreciate.

Money should not be a “taboo” topic in your household. It is integral we all start talking about it more in front of children. It keeps them aware and awareness is only the beginning to financial success.

We have never seen anything like this in our lifetimes, a Global Pandemic. It will be almost one year of being accustomed to this “new normal” of social distancing, wearing masks and working from home. With this Pandemic, most of us have been cooped up in our homes streaming the latest on Netflix and Disney+ while others were getting a lot of items on Amazon.

…And we all thought this year would never end! 2020, the beginning of a new decade and the start of the 21st Century’s “roaring 20’s” had a promising start. Now, a lot of us cannot wait for it to be over.

Did you know that children started writing lists to good ol’ Santa Claus in 1879? For over 140 years, children across the globe would write what they want to receive for Christmas from Santa Claus and their families.

If you are like me, “Culinary Expert” is not apart of your repertoire and just thinking the phrase “Thanksgiving Dinner” makes you anxious. What if I told you that it doesn’t have to be that way? Since this Thanksgiving will be different due to the Pandemic. Instead of feeding 15 people, you might find yourself feeding 4 people or less with close friends and immediate family.

I know what you are probably thinking, how is it November already? Didn’t this year just start? For a year that feels like it has been going on for an eternity, we still always feel that the holidays are constantly creeping up behind us!

2020 is not like any ordinary year. With a historical event that is the COVID-19 Pandemic, there were many things that changed our mindsets on what is to come.

It definitely has not been easy for us, but imagine how children are doing? How are they feeling about all of this? A lot of their events, school activities, sports are postponed or cancelled. With video conferencing becoming the new normal, kids are not having their usual socialization like they did in school.

No one would have predicted last year that this Halloween, we would be in the middle of a pandemic. A lot of vacations, gatherings and concerts have been cancelled and or postponed due to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).