Students

Parents, Teens, and Money:5. Creating a Livable Budget

  • It's time to talk about one of the most helpful tools for attaining financial security — a budget.

    Young adults just starting out typically earn lower salaries at first, and many students can only work part time during the school year. They're also being confronted for the first time by life's many incidental expenses as well as numerous temptations to overspend. Throw in four years of student loans, and it's no wonder the average college student graduates about $20,000 in debt.

    Here are a few budgeting topics you might want to cover with your teens:

  • Why have a budget?

    A budget helps you track money coming in and going out.

  • Creating a budget

    It's time to talk about one of the most helpful tools for attaining financial security.

KEY Message - Don't look at a budget as a punishment, but rather, as a way to achieve your life's goals and attain the things that are most important to you.