 I mentioned in Teaching Teens About Debt that I've been asked about paying an allowance. I don't pay an allowance personally, I pay for working. My son is 14 and has a few monthly financial obligations that have to do with gaming services. He makes some money with that and if he wants more I give him the option of working to earn it. I pay him an hourly wage according to his age. So he's presently making $14/hour; in December he'll increase to $15. The work I have him do ranges from chores to assisting me with my businesses, which is the majority of how he earns. Cleaning his room and trash duties are excluded from payment because those are his required family contributions. This week he's checking and correcting the links in this blog because some of them were dead due to the change from zsolvesproblems.com to ZariBanks.com. There are times when I'll have some cash and give him a couple dollars when he doesn't have any. He has a savings account and a prepaid debit card, but it's nice to have cold, hard cash when he wants to run to the convenience store for a soda or something. But that's an every now and then thing, not a habit. That may seem radical to you, but it's my responsibility to teach him how to earn and use money. I've been to high school and college, taught high school and I can verify that financial wisdom isn't taught intentionally. I also taught financial literacy courses to adults for two years, and usually by the time adults seek help it's because they're in financial turmoil. I'm not willing to allow my son to wait until he's in trouble to get wisdom. I hope you're not going through financial difficulty right now, but if you are I have strategies that can turn things around for you quickly. My Financial Breakthrough Session is just what you need.   What you see above is a record of debt owed to me and payments made by my son. Earlier this year he wanted to make a large purchase that was outside of his current financial ability, and he approached me for credit. We discussed it and I agreed that it was a worthwhile investment for him because the product relates to his income source and one of his dreams (future goals), and because it was a lesson on debt that I want him to internalize ASAP. You know, it's one thing for me to repeatedly say don't get into debt, and another, more powerful thing for him to experience it. This isn't the first time he's experienced being indebted to me for a purchase, of course, and obviously owing me hasn't hit him hard enough just yet so I'm thankful the opportunity presented itself again while he's still under my charge. I was inspired to write this post today (6.29.2016) because he came to me and asked for money, and I happily replied, "I will not loan you anything else until your current debt is cleared." And let me tell ya ... he put in an hour's work to get back on track settling this debt because he doesn't want his bank to remain closed. Folks have asked me about giving allowances and how I determine how much to pay him, and I'll share that with you in a future post later this month. My most-popular mentoring session is The Financial Breakthrough. If you're in need of a money turnaround. Don't wait another minute. Schedule with me today to prepare for increase in your future.   In my Communication Superstar sessions clients often ask for examples of how I speak to my sweetheart and I have a recent (and decent) example I can share. Below is a simple text I sent to start his day/week off right. This may not seem like a big deal but it is for him for a couple reasons. He travels for work and I was communicating the following to him:
As parents we have a responsibility to prepare our teens for life as adults. It's not easy, but it must and can be done. |
Zari Banks, M.EdLife-Hack Strategist 
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