We see that if asked, most parents would probably say that they want their children to be financially independent when they become adults. However, we see that certain courses in personal money management aren’t taught to people today. This is why we see that it’s usually up to parents to teach their kids the basic money management skills needed for financial independence as well. We see parents starts with showing their kids how to create a household budget at the start. We see that a simple budget lists all recurring monthly expenses on one side of the ledger as well as total monthly income on the other side. For most young adults we see that when living on their own, recurring expenses include rent or mortgage, utilities (such as water, or power, trash, maybe cellphone, cable) or groceries, insurance as well as transportation. The parents can therefore attend an Online class to learn from the best app to teach online. We see that in addition to these basic living expenses, the budget might also include an allowance for incidentals as well as some more discretionary spending like dining out, going to concerts or movies as well as other types of entertainment. They should stress to their kids that when they first start supporting themselves, they might not have as much money as they’d like for these kinds of as well. We see that this is a good opportunity to talk to their kids about the importance of self-sacrifice as well as delayed gratification. We see that if the expense side of the ledger is larger than the income side, then the expenses will need to be cut to avoid going into debt. We see that it is usually easier to start by shaving incidental expenses such as eating out less, as well as making coffee at home instead of buying it on the way to work, as well as not splurging on new clothes or electronics. We see that if this doesn’t bring the budget into balance, their child might have to take more drastic measures, such as moving to a cheaper home or apartment, getting a roommate (or two), or getting a less expensive car as well. We see that one of the biggest obstacles to financial independence for many young adults is irresponsible to use of debt as well. We know that there are many new college graduates receive tempting credit card offers from banks that make it seem like easy money is there for the taking as well. Unfortunately, we see that some fall into the credit card trap as well as end up digging themselves into a deep financial hole that makes achieving financial stability difficult, if not almost impossible at the same time. We see that in addition to budgeting and using credit wisely, it’s also important to teach their children about saving as well as investing. We see that doing so will enable their kids to benefit from a long-term time horizon for meeting important financial goals such as retirement or paying for their own kids’ college educations. We see that they must show their kids how participating in a retirement savings plan at work or opening their own if they don’t have an employer-sponsored plan, as well as at an early age can help them secure their financial future decades down the road when they’re ready to retire. They must also explain the importance of short-term savings especially when it comes to building an emergency savings fund to pay for unexpected things that occur, like car repairs and out-of-pocket medical expenses at the same time. We see that one common rule of thumb is to accumulate three to six months of living expenses in a liquid savings account that’s easily accessible at the same time. We see that by having a stash like this to cover unexpected emergencies, their child could avoid racking up big credit card balances that make it hard to achieve financial independence as well. This can make their children understand finances at a young age and secure their life. This can teach them an important lesson at the same time as well.
What can be the role of parents in making their children financially independent
