How To Teach Children About Financial Choices

As a parent, you must guide your children’s path to financial independence. Fortunately for you, there are available online tools that can help. Start knowing your teen’s financial personality through the Financial Identity Quiz. It is a research-based tool for teens and young adults aged 16 to 24.

After determining your child’s designated identity, you must discuss its advantages and disadvantages. Give some scenarios to help them decide better.

IDENTITY 1: THE PATHFINDER

As the name suggests, Pathfinders are committed to explore their own financial paths. This does nor mean that they do not need your guidance! From time to time, you must encourage thoughtful discussions about their financial goals. Where are they headed?

To give a distinct financial path, you must challenge your child to look for a positive financial model. It can be a professor, a blogger, an author, and so on. Discuss the steps taken by your child’s financial model. How does he or she plan to achieve the same path? Start by applying similar money principles as your financial model.

IDENTITY 2: THE NOMAD

Some people know their direct paths to success and others are still exploring. Not all those who wonder are lost, but the Nomad needs a little structure in his or her financial life. Help shape your child’s financial habits by finding an ideal financial path together.

Ask your child to do his or her research on a regular basis. You can train this by giving scenarios. For instance, ask what he will do if he showed up to an event without enough cash. Will he panic when faced with late fees via a credit card billing statement? Will he ask for your help when he missed a deadline for a school activity? Also, where will he buy gas when all the petrol stations are closed? These experiences can turn to teachable moments about financial obligations.

IDENTITY 3: TENDERFOOT

You may know a friend or two who has a Tenderfoot approach to money. A Tenderfoot has the most to learn when it comes to making financial decisions. You see, this type is so careful and conservative. This can be a good thing! However, being too careful can make you miss out on other opportunities. You need to take necessary and responsible risks along the way!

Help your children make their own financial decisions by asking what they will do when they are living on their own. Will they have a roommate or live with each other? What if they had an unforeseen medical bill or job loss? How will they raise enough money to survive? Discuss what they will do when help from a parent or a guardian is hard to reach. They have to take risks on their own.

IDENTITY 4: TROOPER

Last but not the least is the personality that echoes you the most – the Trooper. It is flattering to have your child follow in your footsteps. However, you also want to guide your beloved to make his or her own mark. What would be right for you might not be right for your child. Help your child to take ownership in money matters through discussions.

Image Credits:pixabay.com

Ask your child about the last time when he or she acted independently. How did it turn out? What was the problem and solution? How did he or she felt after taking the bold action alone? Then, make your child write down a list of personal priorities that he or she would accomplish alone. These priorities will be best accompanied by research. Help your child know which decision is the best one.

Source: smartaboutmoney

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Dark Attitudes On Money

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
– Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is right. Sprinkling love in what you do attracts accomplishments and money. Our attitudes towards money play an important part in either attracting it or driving it away.

Growing in a supportive environment where you can talk about money matters openly will enable you to attract money in various ways. On the flip side,it can be more difficult to attract money if you are underestimating your skills. Moreover, dark attitudes toward money can contribute to the lack of self-esteem and motivation.

Having a negative attitude towards money will hinder you from tackling opportunities and will steer you to make errors in your judgement. These may cause you to lose money in the process. Hence, it is important to identify your money attitudes.

Here are just some negative attitudes that you should stop:

I DO NOT DESERVE MONEY

Believing that you do not deserve money or that money is the root of evil causes you to avoid money. For people with this attitude, money can evoke feelings of anxiety and disgust.

I PRAISE MONEY

Believing that money can solve all your problems is a bad attitude to have. People who are trapped by this “money worship” attitude can carry an outstanding debt. Greed can course through your veins when you worship money too much.

I AM DEFINE BY MY WEALTH

Believing that self-worth is tied to your net worth is unhealthy. You can keep up with others as much as you want, but you cannot be fully satisfied.

I AM SECRETIVE ABOUT MY FINANCES

Lack of openness in one’s finances can potentially brew an issue between couples. While people with this attitude are often financially stable, they often do not allow themselves to enjoy the benefits of having money. Extreme cases of having this attitude can lead to under-spending and hoarding. Talk about extreme cheapskate!

Sources: 1 & 2

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Positive And Negative Sides Of Working From Home

Gone are the days when employees are boxed out of their cubicles! Modern technology and contemporary changes paved way for more freedom at work. Nowadays, we can choose to work from our own sweet home.

CONS

1. Working from home is not for everyone. It takes a strong sense of self-discipline to conquer the tasks at hand. Discipline is important to start work and to focus during work. Be honest with yourself! Are you capable of practicing your self-discipline?

2. Working from home entails no outside pressure. If you are motivated by your boss who oversees you all the time then, this may not be for you. Some people find it hard to stay on task without the pressure from another co-worker or a supervisor.

3. Working from home diminishes social interaction. It is no secret that freelancers are vulnerable to being lonely due to their remote location. Loneliness can be dangerous to your mental and physical health. Rethink whether you will thrive in an isolated environment.

4. Working from home puts a gray area between your work and personal life. It is hard to tell whether you are overworked or not due to your environment. There can be an imbalance in your work and personal life, which is unhealthy for you.

5. Working from home lessens vicarious learning. Due to the minimal interactions with other people, learning from a team of like-minded individuals is minimized. There will be no idea sharing or brainstorming face-to-face. There will be no work lunches too.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

PROS

1. There is no commute when you work from home! Employees will be able to save time and money. These factors often lead to boosting overall morale.

2. There is more productivity, if you are working in a comfortable environment. Some employees are willing to work harder in order to continue having the freedom of working from home.

3. There will be few sick day leaves. This time, employees will be less exposed to the infection brought by the commute or the workplace. People will be able to get work done from home.

4. There is less overhead costs when you switch to working from home. A small business will be able to thrive when they eliminate the costs of rent, office supplies, office snacks, and so on.

5. There will be less chances of experiencing burnout. When employees are working on their own terms, they are less likely to feel overwhelmed by their work experience and the tasks at hand.

When taking the leap of faith, you have to weigh both the potential positive and negative sides of your decision. Good luck!

Source: APOLLO

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How To Generate Income Through Facebook

Whether you are addicted to Facebook or not, you can generate income or at least increase your network through this platform. Facebook enables you to connect to potential clients and helps you to develop close relationships. However, you must remember that Facebook is only a part of the strategy.

You still need to market through face to face interactions or through phone conversations. Clients need to feel a personal touch to your products or services. Nonetheless, here are some ways to generate income through the infamous Facebook.

Firstly, you must use Facebook Messenger to stimulate conversations with potential clients. Messenger is like email, but better. It is a way to quickly talk to your clients while attaching documents and stickers. You may highlight your promotions or send a group code to your clients. If you have not spoken to a “friend” in a while, you must renew the relationship first. You do not want him or her to feel like you are only reaching out for business.

Secondly, you must sustain the friendly conversations. Keep the conversation going by thanking your clients for their responses. Provide pictures, videos, and additional information on your products or services. If you do not hear back from them, you may send a “wave” a week after. Ask if they want to know the next step for successful purchase. Be patient.

Thirdly, you must create an enticing Facebook page. Fill your business profile with attractive pictures, genuine reviews, and witty captions. Edit your cover image, profile image, and about section properly. Exude your brand’s personality through the images. While, the about section shall dictate your credibility.

Lastly, you must put your profile on public. Your goal is to let your friends know what you do or what you offer. Let them feel that you can help them. For instance, you may write a similar post if you are a real estate agent.

“Hello there! I love helping people find their dream home. If you know anyone that needs assistance in real estate, please message me.”

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Keep things short and simple. Interested clients will surely message soon after!

Source: inc

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Why Is It So Hard To Save?

With the surge of expenses from left to right, many find it difficult to save money on the side. The difficulty arises not only due to the lack of self-control, but also due to our perception. Harvard Economics Professor Sendhil Mullainathan tells CNN Money that “it is human nature not to save, but we can get better at it”.

#1: ACCEPTANCE

The first step to building your savings is acceptance. Accept your current financial situation and today’s economy. Whether you admit it or not, saving money is harder than ever. As prices in Singapore increase, we have less “disposable” income that we can allocate to our financial goals.

Acceptance of these will enable you to focus on the future priorities rather than focusing on the urgent expenses. You can automate your savings and allocate it to your retirement or education funds. I suggest you start small with the “52 Week Money Challenge”. This challenge encourages a slow and steady approach to saving money.

#2: REMOVAL

The second step to building your savings is to remove unnecessary elements such as your multiple credit cards. It is no surprise that saving money is hindered by the accessibility of credit. You see, our cashless society diminishes our appreciation for every dollar that we spend. Credit cards enable us to spend money before we save. And, there is no going back!

Not to mention, credit cards enable us to subscribe to monthly services such as video and music streaming. Our subscriptions add up! Every dollar you spend on meal delivery or Taobao delivery add up. What’s more? It can be difficult to cancel a monthly service that you forgot to sign up for. Just take caution with your plastics!

#3: RESET

The last piece of the puzzle is our perception towards savings. Many Singaporeans think that saving is challenging because it requires a heroic feat of tightening one’s budget. In reality, saving money can be done gradually. It should not be driven by sacrifice. Instead, it should be driven by opportunities harnessed by self-control.

For instance, you may save money without being conscious about it all the time through automation. You can automate a specific amount of your salary for it to go straight to your savings account. You cannot spend what you cannot see!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Reset your perceptions about saving money. There are benefits to moving forward. And, moving forward you must do!

Sources: 1 & 2

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