Tag Archives: allowance

Why Your Child’s Allowance Should be Tied to Their Chores

allowance

There are literally thousands of how-to’s and self-help books for parents, but truly the only real way to learn how to raise a child is to do it! Luckily our growing team of parents at Timberwood Bank have some true hands-on experience when it comes to upbringing and explaining money management to little ones.

One of the most common fiscal questions parents have concerning their child’s financial education is, “How do I teach them about money using an allowance?” The simple answer is, however you want. There are a number of ways you can utilize a recurring allowance to help your children understand both the importance of good money management and a sound work ethic. Below are two of our favorite strategies:

Example #1: Earn Your Extras

In this scenario, allowances are guaranteed to an extent. Every two weeks give your child a pre-determined amount of cash, say $5.00. That money then has to be split evenly between their educational savings and their retirement savings (yes – retirement savings!) While this money is technically theirs for future use, they have no tangible money to immediately spend. Where the fun part comes in, is the commission. Assign a small dollar value to various tasks around the house. Ensure things like making their bed, or doing their homework are givens, and they are required to do them no matter what. However, extra work such as mowing the lawn, cleaning the bathroom, or cooking dinner, earn a predetermined amount of commission. Paid every two weeks, this commission is then there’s to spend between three areas, save, spend, and donate, but they MUST allocate at least $0.50 in each area. This lesson teaches three primary lessons; the first is housework is a part of everyday life and it doesn’t come with a paycheck. The second lesson is that working hard pays off, and the third is that creating a plan or budget for your money allows you to use it as a tool instead of using debt as a burden.

Example #2: Ambition Is Important

There is a viral story trending about a young boy whose allowance was determined by how many self-help books he read and wrote a report on. This simple lesson offers many variations and proves an important point on the dedication to values at a young age. For this example, there is no guaranteed allowance on a weekly or monthly basis. In this scenario, all funds are accumulated via commission. How that commission is earned is determined by you. This can be the number of extra assignments completed or the amount of successfully replicated YouTube tutorials. It could even be the quantity of miles your child is dedicated to running each week. Through this valuable learning experience, you can showcase to them that a solid work ethic is pinnacle to success, and can at times even out earn an education.

However you decide to help your children understand the complexities of personal finance, Timberwood Bank is here to support you. Stop in today, and ask about our designated children’s savings accounts. We’d love to help your family get started on their journey to financial success.

How-To Give Your Child a Financial Education with Their Allowance

Financial Literacy

Allowance, when treated as an educational opportunity, gives your child hands-on experience in budgeting, saving, spending, and tracking their money. With these tactics, you and your child can make the most of their allowance while growing their financial literacy.

  • Shy away from weekly allowance. A bi-weekly or monthly allowance better reflects a real-world payment schedule than a weekly handout. Additionally, staggered money instead of a steady cash flow opens opportunities to practice budgeting for both spending and savings goals.
  • Pay financial, not household, chores. Paying your children for completing basic household duties can shift their helpfulness from intrinsic to monetary. Instead, link their allowance to financial chores, or spending responsibilities that they take off your hands. While you cover school lunch and back-to-school clothes, vacation souvenirs or sporting event concessions are up to their discretion, allowing them to make financial decisions from a young age.
  • Open a savings account. It’s never too early to start saving. Open a saving’s account with your child and explain the power of compound interest. Establish that they pull 10% of their total monthly allowance to funnel into savings, enabling them to budget the remaining 90% while teaching the discipline and value of saving.
  • Show them the options for their funds. Teach your children the potential their money has by creating four labeled jars for spending, saving, giving, investing. Each time your kids are given money via chores or other revenue sources, have them choose which jar to put the funds in. The spending jar can be used on small purchases like candy bars or little toys, and the saving jar can be put towards larger items that take more time to save.

With each dollar your children learn to save, they will continue to propel their education forward. If you’d like to get your little one’s financial education off to the right start stop by Timberwood Bank today and enroll them in their very own savings account.