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An exhibit paying tribute to Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs was unveiled last week at the United States Patent Office Museum, located in Alexandria, Virginia. The museum's Jobs tribute is open to the public and is free of charge.
MacRumors reports that the organization has named the presentation The Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs: Art and Technology that Changed the World. The Patent Office Museum is showcasing a display of the 300 patents which carry the name of the iconic innovator, set up in the atrium of the organization's Madison Building headquarters.
Most striking is the row of 30 giant iPhone panels, designed by the non-profit Invent Now organization, which display the front pages of the patents credited to Jobs as co-inventor. The museum says the purpose of the exhibit is to highlight Jobs' visionary commitment which can be found in each of the products he influenced during his stay with Apple, the company we all know he co-founded at the early age of 21 with Steve Wozniak.
"This exhibit commemorates the far-reaching impact of Steve Jobs' entrepreneurship and innovation on our daily lives," said the Under Secretary of Commerce for IP, David Kappos. "His patents and trademarks provide a striking example of the importance intellectual property plays in the global marketplace."
In the wake of the influential innovators death, there have been a good number of documentaries and other media honoring the impact Jobs had on the world. Sony is currently working on producing a feature film about Jobs life based on the book by Walter Isaacson. Aaron Sorkin, the man responsible for The Social Network Zuckerberg story, recently expressed a strong interest in adapting Isaacson's story for Sony's project.
The USPTO museum will be showcasing its Steve Jobs exhibit until January 15, 2012.


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Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
- Fall Into Autumn with All Things Dolly - September 28, 2023
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Turns a New Leaf This Autumn - September 27, 2023
- Dollywood's Harvest Festival Brings Fall Family Fun Home to the Smokies - September 25, 2023
'When I Get Where I'm Going' – Duet with Brad Paisley
Dolly contributed vocal harmony to the 2005 Brad Paisley song 'When I Get Where I'm Going,' written by George Teren and Rivers Rutherford.
The touching music video features individuals with photographs of their loved ones. It won Video of the Year at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards and the song won Vocal Event of the Year.
Dolly wrote a letter to the songwriters,
"I want to thank you and congratulate you for one of the greatest songs that I have ever heard and certainly one of the best songs that I've had the good fortune to sing on in my whole career. I hear nothing but great comments on it. I just lost a dear friend, and they played it at his funeral. It was his favorite song ever. But all of my living friends love it, too… I truly am as proud to have been a part of that [song] as anything I've ever done in my whole life."
Paisley also chose the collaboration with Dolly, based on the recent loss of his aunt to cancer,
"Her voice is angelic and that takes it to a more spiritual realm instantly… and my aunt loved her and thought she was great."
The song was the second single released from Paisley's "Time Well Wasted" album. "When I Get Where I'm Going" topped the Billboard Hot Country singles chart and landed at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.

subset: commoncrawl


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St Kitts and Nevis is a great island destination for a couple. It's definitely not an adventure island, but good for two people who want nice beaches, hiking but aren't looking for much nightlife.
We stayed in Nevis as opposed to St. Kitts. It is a short ferry ride away from St. Kitts, and it is a much quieter island. Most of the tourists are on St. Kitts at the Marriott beach resort, which is quite expensive, and honestly not much better than a resort on any other island, or even Florida. If you want a great resort on the beach where you can ignore the local life, go to Atlantis in the Bahamas.
St. Kitts ( Spent 3 days, should have done 2)
This is where the Marriott is, the airport, the port, and the main city. The city is a bit boring but safe. The Marriott is nice, but again, nothing special, and the things unique to St. Kitts (such as a train that goes to the north of the island and a fort) are really not too exciting. The beach on the southern part of the island, Cockleshell bay, is quite nice, and has a good environment of people, but pricey to get to. If you want peace and quiet go to Nevis, if you want want nightlife there is, stay in St. Kitts.
Nevis (spent 3 days, should have spent 1)
View coming into the country
Go to St. Kitss and Nevis if you find a good deal on flights, and if you're with your family stay on St. Kitts and ferry to Nevis, if you are with a significant other go to Nevis and stay there. If you are by yourself, I wouldn't go at all, as I think there are other, more fun, places to go.
Country level of difficulty – 2/10
This entry was posted in Latin America, North America


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I wanted to share a casual Valentine's Day look, that doesn't involve large doses of red or pink. I think this is a comfy, warm, but stylish alternative to getting dressed up and I love that can be recreated with pieces you likely already have in your closet.
My sweater is available in a few colours, and I've also linked an affordable similar off the shoulder top. I love the detail of the texture and off the shoulder style, to dress up a basic sweater and jeans outfit.
These jeans are a favorite and I found a pair that's on super sale! They are so soft, stretchy, and comfy, but still flattering and hold their shape, unlike some other stretchy options. I like pairing distressed denim with a dressier top and heels, to make the look a little less casual.
These earrings come in several colours and are an inexpensive way of adding a pop of color and interest to your outfit.
I hope you have a love filled Valentine's Day! Thank you for reading!
– Uzzy


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Issue Date: November 21, 2003
Maciel case belies church promises to combat abuse
Perhaps in some arcane Vatican understanding of things lies the explanation for how Fr. Marcial Maciel cannot only remain a priest in good standing but be heralded by one of the highest authorities in the church for the "great work that you do."
Maciel is founder of the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative religious order with U.S. headquarters in Connecticut. He received the praise and several embraces from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican's secretary of state (
Maciel may be a papal favorite — he has traveled with the pope in the past and has shown up more recently at papal events in Rome — but he is also the target of accusations of sexual abuse by nine former members of the Legionaries of Christ.
We have argued on this page against the zero tolerance policy initially adopted by the bishops last year, and we believe that priests deserve due process and the presumption of innocence. At the same time, the law requires that accusations of sexual abuse be turned over to police, and it is certainly wise to remove from ministry priests who have been credibly accused.
In Maciel's case, the nature of the allegations and the credibility of the alleged victims would make it an easy call almost anywhere except the Vatican. No U.S. priest superior facing detailed and public accusations by nine former members of an order would last 10 minutes in active ministry.
How bizarre, then, that a head of an international order remains in place even though he would immediately be removed from ministry and turned over to legal authorities if he were living under church norms effective in the United States.
The alleged victims, who first went public with their accusations in 1997, included a retired priest in good standing in Madrid; a psychology professor in New York; a professor at the U.S. Defense Languages School in Monterey, Calif.; and in Mexico, a Harvard-trained scholar of Latin American studies; a lawyer; a rancher; an engineer; a schoolteacher; and another former priest who was a university president and who left a statement of alleged abuse and gave accounts to several witnesses before his death in 1995.
They have repeatedly said they are not seeking money, but justice and the prevention of further abuse.
Their case has been championed by respected theologians and conservative Catholics, who took it to Rome, where it was received by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith but never adjudicated.
In simplest terms, the accusers never got a hearing at the highest levels.
In the Maciel case, the church is sending disturbing mixed signals. What are officials saying, first of all, to victims everywhere who are pressing their own cases? What does it say to other priests who have been sidelined or dismissed from active ministry altogether for accusations far less severe than those made against Maciel? (Details of the accusations can be found in previous stories now available in our archives at www.NCRonline.org 'keyword Maciel'). And what message is it sending the wider culture, which is deeply skeptical of the ability of church leaders, who remain above accountability, to correct their course?
Vatican officials ought to understand, at the very least, that their promises about combating sexual abuse by priests remain empty until Maciel's accusers receive a thorough and objective hearing.


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Education:How To
Riding Boogie Boards and Music Careers
This is the audio version of the blogpost you can find at AllThingsVocal.com.
Today's topic is Boogie Boarding and Music Careers. Listen to this podcast episode to find out how good boogie boarding is like riding the waves of a good music career.
This podcast is now playing at iTunes , Google Play, TuneIn Radio, . Subscribe and don't miss an episode... and please leave a review where you like to listen! REVIEWS ARE MUCH NEEDED and APPRECIATED!
If you'd like help getting your voice ready for studio or stage, try Power, Path and Performance vocal training, available at www.JudyRodman.com in vocal lessons and in courses, including the professional pre-production course Singing In The Studio.
Subjects covered in this episode include:
Links mentioned in this podcast include:
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World class speakers, laser focused conference programme and facilitated 1-2-1 networking.
We only work with small intimate groups of highly qualified delegates. Attending an Intrinsic Communications Summit exposes you to a group of likeminded industry counterparts who, like you, are there to network, learn and benchmark – seeking the latest knowledge and innovative solutions to solve the latest issues impacting your organisation.


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Summer and comfort go well together, but when you're dealing with an air conditioner that isn't giving the comfort you expect, you may need to think about air conditioner replacement. Take a few moments and think about this scenario: it's only a few weeks in to the summer and you're enjoying a relaxing day at home. As lunchtime rolls around, you realize that it's beginning to feel awfully warm inside. You check the thermostat and all seems to be well with the settings, but the temperature reads 85 degrees.
It's a possibility that you rode it out as much as you could, but now it's time to call in a pro and discover what's wrong. So what does that mean for you as a homeowner? Well, there are a few reasons that you may be facing air conditioner replacement. And considering the weather in Murrieta, you don't want to be caught without what could be the single most substantial piece of home comfort equipment you own.
Here are a few things you should be watching for if you think your air conditioner has stopped working:
If you have checked all of these and your air conditioner still isn't working, follow these step-by-step instructions, only proceeding to the next step if the system doesn't start.
Having an inoperable air conditioner and dealing with air conditioner replacement doesn't have to be a headache. Sure, your system may not be running , but that's why the staff at Cool Air Solutions in Murrieta is here to help. Give us a call at 951-299-9853.


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A hard core "stick burner" for decades from South Texas, Daryl first tried the Big Green Egg in 2018 and that is all it took. In 2019 Olive Paris became the area 's home for Big Green Egg.
Roast, Smoke, Grill, and BBQ are all easy to do on the versatile Big Green Egg. Olive Paris has a large assortment of Eggcessories, Cook Books, rubs, lump coal, and more. We are literally your one stop shop for BBQ and Grill accessories with pro assistance on hand too help you get the most out of your BBQ experience.
Olive Paris
Olive Paris 115 S Main Paris Texas 75460
Copyright © 2023 Olive Paris - All Rights Reserved.


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Source: http://youtu.be/09oMmr-jmBM
To be up to date with the latest in the livestock farming industry to may check out our livestock farming latest news. On the other hand in case you're starting raising livestock and would like to start professional livestock farming now get a copy of our Profitable Livestock Farming ebook.
When getting into livestock farming there are countless things to consider before you bounce into production. There are various types of livestock you can raise, which are hens, rabbits, cattle, ducks, lamb, goats, swine or mounts, and are all cared for in a different way.
To be successful in animal farming you need to know your options, goals and resources. Being aware of what you want to accomplish will help you in shaping up your farm so that it is successful.
– Your Goals
So why do you want to get into animal farming? It's very essential that you identify and evaluate what your goals are.
Do you want to raise livestock because you want to supply your family with healthy food? You may just want to raise livestock to manage forage? Or else you want to produce your own livestock products and sell them for extra income? Either way establishing goals is no doubt important before you pursue your project.
After you have made your decision on what type of livestock you want to raise, consider the land in which you are going to farm the livestock. Consider the size of your land, the laws regarding raising livestock and property zoning. If your land is not that large you may consider raising chickens or ducks but if you have large land you can keep, cattle, lamb and other large animals.
Also determine the sort of procedure you desire. If you want to raise cows determine if you wish to raise cattle for meat or cows for milk or if you wish to raise laying chickens and meat birds. For milk production you can pick between goat milk, sheep milk or cow milk. You can just raise all of them.
The type of breed is also important so make certain you get knowledge of the several types of livestock. For example if you wish to keep meat cattle that graze on pasture the cattle that strives well on pasture is the Belted Galloway. This goes for the other livestock, certain breeds will produce better than other breeds.
– Your Resources
Ask yourself if you have enough resources to start out your project? Will you have enough finances to invest in livestock farming? Do you have the equipment and facilities? Setting up livestock requires that you have enough resources and are prepared to commit some money.


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15067873976674334382023-09-20T02:23:53.698-07:00Family Finance FavsThe best advice on how to raise kids who are responsible and thoughtful with money.Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-17456931513659034092019-08-20T16:36:00.000-07:002019-08-20T16:36:48.702-07:00Make Kids Save For Their Own Birthday Presents

Do you ever struggle to find birthday gifts for your kids?

Do your kids struggle to save money?

Kill two birds with one stone.

How? Make your kids save up for their own birthday presents.

Wait, what??!! Sounds cold, right?

Hear me out.

Trishia, a FamZoo mom, shared this brilliant idea with me on a customer service call recently. She told her kids there would be no more typical birthday gifts from her. Instead, she offered to match whatever amount is sitting in their bank accounts the next time their birthdays roll around.

Happy birthday, you just doubled your money!

So, the more earnings they save between now and their next birthdays, the bigger the bonuses.

See, not so harsh after all. And, let's be honest: most kids dig the gift of cold hard cash.

The arrangement is a genius incentive to delay gratification and boost work ethic.

Plus, here's the kicker: once they've exercised the behavioral muscles needed to maximize their birthday bonuses, they'll probably be reticent to blow it all after the big birthday payday. They'll figure out that the less they blow on this birthday, the more they'll earn on the next one.

Compounding 101. It's the gift that keeps giving.

P.S. If they get too good at the game, you may want to match a percentage (say 25%) or cap the match (say to $100).

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Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-55289836611183944692018-08-28T10:28:00.000-07:002018-08-28T12:03:43.821-07:00Confess Your Money Mess Ups To Your Kids

Do you ever share your money mess up stories with your kids?

I think it's helpful to do so. It reminds the kids we're all human. Your candor demonstrates it's safe for the kids to confide in you about their own inevitable money stumbles. The benefit? You might just nip a problem at the bud before it snowballs into a full-fledged financial disaster.

So here's a money mess up I just shared with my kids. I've been renting a small storage unit for a pile of old stuff that would have easily fit in my garage. Frankly, I should have just given most of it away long ago. Well, that little storage unit of random stuff has been costing me a hefty $97 per month lately. Ouch.

I kept telling myself I needed get rid of it. Especially every time I saw that $97 activity alert come in from my credit card account.

Month after month after month.

Well, I finally pulled the plug on the unit. My daughter helped me move the stuff home just recently.

Golf clap.

Soooo, just how long had this senseless spending been going on? I asked the guy behind the desk to look up the start date for my storage unit.

It was...

Wait for it...

2005!

I've been paying rent every month needlessly for 13 years. Shame! Shame!

I'll let everybody do the rough math. Needless to say, it's real money — even if the rent was initially quite a bit lower.

Anyway, I confessed it all to my kids. They had a good laugh at this dumb old fool's expense. A colossal, senseless waste of money by no less than the founder of a family FinLit company. "Mr. FamZoo," my wife chided. Derp.

But at least my kids got a good chuckle and a cautionary tale out of my financial folly.

Maybe the memory of my money mess up will save them some money someday.

P.S. Feel free to regale us with your own money mess up story in the comments, if you feel so inclined. But I certainly understand if you'd prefer to keep it in the family. 😬

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 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-56441899858070323312018-08-02T17:38:00.001-07:002018-08-02T18:38:57.505-07:00Train Kids To Connect The Address Verification Dots

Your daughter is off at college.

Your son is at his stepfather's house for the weekend.

Your family moved recently.

Your youngster hasn't learned your street address or zip code.

You may soon be hearing:

 "Dad, my card doesn't work!"

Why?

The address verification system used by VISA, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.

Kids need to know that almost every debit or credit card has an associated address on file. It's typically the home address of the legal cardholder collected at the time of issuance.

Kids need to know that most online sites will request a billing address during checkout for a purchase. Alternatively, the site may use a billing address stored in a billing profile from an earlier transaction.

To complete the purchase successfully, the billing address supplied on the site must match the address associated with the card. If the two don't match, the purchase will fail.

That's address verification.

The point is to reduce fraud. Address verification thwarts those thieves who get a hold of sensitive card info, but can't cough up the correct address of the cardholder.
So, if your kid shops online and supplies a temporary college address, another parent's home address, an old home address, or simply doesn't know her address, she'll be thwarted just like the thief.
I know this happens frequently. At 21.7% in the last 30 days, address verification failure is the second most common decline reason for kids on our family finance site — right behind insufficient funds (62.4%).

Teach your child:

What the cardholder address is, and how to update it.

What a billing address is, and how to update it on websites that store it.

How to match the two during checkout to prevent address verification declines.

In other words, teach your kids where the address verification dots are, and how to connect them.

Like this tip? Get the next one in your inbox by subscribing here.

Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-87957288703364758362018-04-26T15:37:00.001-07:002018-04-26T15:43:05.427-07:00Coach Teens To Leave a Tip Cushion On Their Cards

Here's a restaurant riddle for you:

 Your teen takes a date to a restaurant. The bill comes for $40. Your teen's prepaid card has a current balance of $47. Your teen hands the card and the bill to the waiter intending to pay a total of $46 with tip included. The waiter returns with the card and informs your teen that it has been declined. Embarrassment ensues.

Why was the card declined for insufficient funds? After all, there was clearly enough on the card to cover $46.

Stumped?

When your teen hands over the bill, the restaurant doesn't know what the final tip will be. Naturally, they'd like to make sure your teen can leave a nice one. After all, their service was impeccable! So, the restaurant preauthorizes the purchase for the amount plus a generous anticipated tip.

Unfortunately, the restaurant's anticipated tip (likely 20%) is more than your teen intends to leave. So, the restaurant's anticipated total of $48 ends up exceeding the $47 on the card, and the preauthorization attempt fails.

The bottom line: teens need to be coached to leave a healthy tip cushion on their cards.

20% should be enough, but maybe 25% just to be safe. That way, the preauthorization with the restaurant's aspirational tip will sail through, and the waiter will return with the bill sans the humiliation.

Then your teen can write the actual tip on the restaurant's copy of the receipt. Later, when the restaurant finalizes or "settles" the bill, they'll adjust the total transaction amount to reflect the actual tip amount. Your teen's prepaid card balance will be restored accordingly.

Here's an example of the proper sequence for a $40 restaurant bill charged to a prepaid card with a $50 balance. Watch how the balance adjusts at the end.

 Step	 Card
Balance

 1. The bill arrives showing the meal costs $40.	 $50.00

 2. Teen hands bill and card to waiter.	 $50.00

 3. Waiter preauthorizes card for $48.00, tacking on $8 (20%) to account for expected tip.	 $2.00

 4. Waiter returns bill and card to table.	 $2.00

 5. Teen writes in a tip amount of $6 (15%).	 $2.00

 6. Restaurant settles bill for adjusted amount of $46.	 $4.00

So, spare your teens some embarrassment and maybe even some compensatory dish washing duties at the restaurant. Clue them in on the need to keep a safe tip cushion on their cards when dining out.

P.S. Running your prepaid card near empty can be a real problem at the gas station too, where you'll often see a $75 preauthorization at the pump, even if you only intend to fill up for $20. Yet another reason to teach your teens to keep a hefty balance buffer on their prepaid cards.

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Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-67206161772242897542018-04-10T19:09:00.000-07:002018-04-10T19:24:10.095-07:00Keep Up The Good Fight With Kids And Chores

Are you struggling in the parenting trenches right now? Battling to convince your kids to do chores regularly, or to save patiently, or to give thoughtfully?

This excerpt from my conversation with Andy Hill on his Marriage, Kids and Money Show might give you some solace.

Andy: Some people are listening right now, and they're saying:

"This is all well and good. It sounds like you guys have some kids that really want to help out. I haven't even started asking my kids to contribute around the house. Where would I even start?

What would you say to that person?

Bill: So, first of all, let me disabuse you of the notion that my kids wanted to help out. I think what is really interesting and fun — now that most of my kids are in their twenties — is you realize that the good fight was worth it.

In other words, you think they're not listening to you. You think the fact that they don't pick up their clothes for the thousandth time is because you're a crummy parent. You couldn't convince them that work was important or to pull their own weight for the family.

Then they grow up and move away, and you start seeing the fruits of your labor.

Sometimes the messages are all getting through. They're just not prepared or ready or mature enough to receive them. And then when they go out in the world and learn a little bit of what the world is about, you realize that all the messages are still floating around in there, and they start to land. And it's really gratifying.

My kids wouldn't leap to give money. Or, they wouldn't leap to save. Or, any of those things necessarily. Sometimes they did. Sometimes they didn't. They were normal, good kids. Good kids are going to act out every once in a while.

Being a parent is so humbling. I didn't realize how stupid I was until I had kids. If I saw a kid acting out, my first reaction before I was a parent was:

"What's wrong with that kid's parents?"

And then, it turned out, I was the volunteer soccer coach whose kid was lying down in the middle of the field, pounding the grass, swearing at the referee.

"Hey coach, whose kid is that?"

"Uh, that would be mine..."

And, now, that particular kid? (I'm not going to name any names, I've got 5 so I can hide it among them) He is one of the most thoughtful, caring individuals. (OK, I'll give it away: he's a dad now too.)

So, keep up the good fight. And keep with the consistent messaging — even if you don't see the immediate results. I bet if you're consistent with your messaging and you're consistent with your efforts, you'll see the long term results.

And there's no reason not to hedge your bets anyway. So stick with it.

Andy: That makes me feel good for someone who's in the trenches of it right now.

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Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-25991179209969550412018-03-29T11:01:00.001-07:002018-03-29T11:44:00.589-07:00Charge Kids A Mediation Fee For Dispute Resolution

"Mom, Taylor took more than half the ice cream!"

"Yeah, but Haley had more last time!"

"No I didn't!!"

"Yes, you did!!"

"Moooooommmmmmmm!!!"

Here comes the judge!

You know the drill. It's dispute resolution time. Never pretty.

What if the kids just resolved these little kerfuffles peacefully themselves? Yeah right.

Well, maybe it's possible...

A dad named Jon K. shared this clever conflict resolution hack on Facebook:

We try to encourage [our kids] to solve their own disputes. We tell them that they can get my wife or I involved to figure out a resolution. But we charge a "mediation fee" (usually $.50 or $1) from each, and we promise that if their dispute goes to mediation, we'll find a way to make sure that neither "wins".

We've seen parents charge kids for inconveniences on our family finance site before — chauffeur fees, cleaning fees, you name it. But never mediation fees. Brilliant.

So, from now on kiddos, think twice before you call mom or dad to mediate. We'll make you pay!

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Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-46666420020995067372018-02-13T19:45:00.004-08:002018-02-14T07:31:02.181-08:00Pop Up A Family 401(k) In Five Easy Steps

Chris loves personal finance. Of course he does. He's an accountant.

But he hates all the complexity and technical jargon that prevents "normal" people from taking action.

For example:

I'd like to see every eligible W2 earner make a non-tax deductible contribution in the amount that is the lesser of one's taxable earned compensation (not adjusted gross income) and the allowable limit set by the IRS as dictated by age and subject to certain modified adjusted gross income limits into a Roth individual retirement account established by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 in the first allowable year and every allowable year thereafter to grow tax-free in a passive, low cost, broad market index fund until age 59.5.

What the...?

That's exactly the kind of techno-jargon Chris laments. He'd prefer to present personal finance topics simply and briefly. That's why he created the short-form podcast Popcorn Finance.

So, what I meant to say was:

I want all parents to set up Family 401(k)s for their working teens. Pronto.

Why? It will save their financial lives.

What's a Family 401(k)?

Grab a bag of popcorn, kick back, and fire up episode 43 of Popcorn Finance.

Chris and I break down the Family 401(k) into 5 easy steps. Listen and you'll learn my favorite family finance tip in the time it takes you to make — and perhaps eat — a bag of popcorn.

Here's the cheat sheet:

Get a job. Like a corporate 401(k) deal, the Family 401(k) starts with work. In our family, I insist on a summer or part-time job that issues an official W-2. That way, I know we'll be in the clear with the IRS.

Open a Roth IRA. Help your working teen open up a Roth IRA account at a reputable broker. I chose Schwab. For teens under 18, you can set up a custodial account.

"Family-source" contributions. So your teen spent the earnings on gaming and pizza already? Time to hit up the grandparents and rich uncle Phil for some cash to contribute to the Roth. See if your teen can "family-source" enough funds to max out the contribution.

Invest. Don't let the funds wallow in cash. I like a low cost all-market index fund like VTI for the long term win. Don't try to time the market either. You can't.

Rinse and repeat. Keep doing this every year whenever eligible. Congratulations, now your teen knows the wisdom of dollar cost averaging. Oooh, fancy jargon!

After decades in the market with steady contributions enjoying tax-free growth, your teen's gonna be sitting pretty on a sweet retirement stash come age 59 and a half.

Which brings us to Chris' bonus step: Step 6. It's the ultimate parental payback. It's like the butter on the popcorn.

Listen here to find out what it is. It's only 10 minutes long. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Like this tip? Get the next one in your inbox by subscribing here.

Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-62094405937022135372017-12-29T15:54:00.000-08:002017-12-29T16:00:02.790-08:00Try a Top Ten Family Finance Tip With Your Kids

Resolve to teach your kids personal finance skills in the New Year!

Not sure where to start? Pick a few tips from this top-ten list.

My 10 most viewed family finance tips from the last 12 months are:

10. Offer Kids A Savings Match With Strings Attached

Encourage your kid to save by offering a matching contribution, but attach some of these strings to send the right message.

9. Pre-Negotiate Your Teen's Summer Paycheck Savings Split

Agree on this summer paycheck strategy to teach your teen the Warren Buffett saving rule. Instill a smart payroll deduction habit early.

8. Review 529 Statements With Your Teen Every Quarter

Here are 6 valuable lessons your teen can learn from 529 statements if you're willing to make a 15 minute investment every 3 months. See if you're up for the challenge.

7. Motivate Kids To Maintain Value With A Trade-In Deal

Don't want your kids being cavalier about their possessions? Try this trade-in value trick.

6. Replace Chore Charts With Money Requests

Help your kid get from dog-eat-dog to top dog in tomorrow's work world with this proactive alternative to chore charts and allowance.

5. Fully Fund Your Working Teen's Roth IRA

Here's why it makes sense to max out your working teen's Roth IRA, even if they already blew through all their paychecks.

4. Clean Up Your Kid's Spotty Bill Payment Record

Can your kid handle making consistent monthly payments for an online subscription like Spotify? FamZoo data says many can't. Here's why it's time to make your kid face the music.

3. Post Wants On The Fridge To Chill Your Child's Spending

Here's a clever parenting trick for putting a chill on impulse spending by kids.

2. Show Teens The Top Of the Stock Market

Try this fun visual prop for teaching your teen some important investing wisdom: timing the stock market is a fool's errand.

1. Show Kids What The S&P 500 Looks Like

Kids hear about stock indexes in the headlines all the time — the Dow is down, the S&P is up, the NASDAQ is flat. But do they have any idea what an index is? Here's an easy, fun way to show them the what and why.

See any that fit your family?

Pick even just one, and you'll have a quick victory to claim on your New Year's resolutions. Better yet, you'll make a lasting impact on your child's financial future.

Happy New Year!

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Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-34875154329857069612017-12-08T16:47:00.000-08:002017-12-08T18:37:31.787-08:00Use Parental Money Controls for Transparency Training Not Micro-Management

Parental controls are all the rage when it comes to prepaid card apps built for kids and teens.

Get an activity alert every time Junior spends.

Require approval before Junior makes a purchase.

Lock the card if Junior needs a financial time-out.

Sounds like a helicopter parent's dream.

Back in the day, my mom had no clue about half the things I bought with untraceable cash as a kid. Phew.

Sure, close monitoring certainly makes sense when kids are young.

But teens? They crave autonomy and privacy.

Don't shared parental controls undermine both? Aren't they just another invasive instrument of today's high tech helicopter parents?

It sounds like ditching the controls when kids become teens makes sense too.

Despite being a fan of giving teens plenty of leash, I have a different view.

Parental controls help your teen develop financial transparency — if used properly.

Why is that important? Teens who become comfortable discussing transactions with parents now are more likely to evolve into adults who are comfortable discussing finances openly with a spouse or partner in the future. That's a good thing. Financial transparency in a relationship reduces conflict and aligns everyday money habits with shared goals.

That said, kids who strongly resent parental controls will evolve in the opposite direction. They'll become more secretive about money, not less.

So how do parents use parental controls to build comfort instead of resentment?

Don't make it a surprise. Before you roll out the prepaid card app, make sure the kids clearly understand the visibility you'll have. Give them a tour of all the parental control capabilities. Make transparency part of the deal up front: "You get access to money, I get visibility on your spending — fair enough?" Yep.

Don't make a fuss. Mistakes will happen. That's how they learn. Set the precedent early that the inevitable money mishaps elicit calm, rational discussions instead of raging reprimands.

Don't react to everything. Let the little things slide. Bite your tongue when the stakes are low. Nagging is a surefire way to stoke teen resentment.

Don't always be first to comment. Let your kid broach the topic when mistakes happen. She knows you already know. When your kid gets comfortable mentioning mistakes first, you'll know you're getting it right.

So, ditch the helicoptering, but keep the parental controls at a reasonable altitude. Help your teen practice gaining comfort with financial transparency. A future spouse or partner will thank you someday.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-73290996605493859552017-11-11T11:27:00.000-08:002017-11-11T11:27:09.006-08:00Make a Money In 'N Out Spreadsheet With Your Teen

For many kids, money can be a bit too easy come, easy go — especially in today's digital world.

But tracking and categorizing money thoughtfully will always be a key life skill. Dollars deserve a purpose whether digital or not. So how do we get our kids to be more mindful of money as it ebbs and flows?

Build a Money In 'N Out Spreadsheet with your child. It's a simple tool for pinpointing the sources for money coming in and the purposes for money going out.

Here's a recipe I used with my son in college:

Import last month's transactions. Most prepaid cards or bank cards have a way to export transactions, so this step is often just a quick cut and paste. If your teen uses cash, then have her manually enter every transaction in the spreadsheet for the current month.

Add "Money In" columns. Sit down together and figure out the main types of income. Create columns for each. In our case, money coming in was either:

a "stipend" from dad,

reimbursements I've agreed to make for certain types of purchases,

aggressive parent-paid interest to encourage my son not to spend, and

money from my son's summer job savings.

Add "Money Out" columns. For money coming out, let you child suggest the key categories of spending as you browse the transactions together. Less is more here, so steer it toward high level groupings. We ended up with:

eating out,

eating in,

health,

gaming, and

phone.

The right categories will depend upon what your child is responsible for purchasing directly. If your teen has very few transactions, that's probably a sign you need to relinquish more purchasing responsibility. Either create some appropriate budget-based allowances or use a reimbursement strategy, or both.

Copy the transaction amount into the right in or out column. For each transaction row, copy the amount into the appropriate income or spending column. In rare cases, you may need to split the amount between spending columns. But if you're doing that a lot, your categories are probably too granular. Keep it simple — like the In-N-Out menu.

Sum up the totals. Add a final row that sums up the amount column, the income columns, and the spending columns. The sum of the amount column will indicate the net change for the month. If it's negative, more was spent than earned during the period.

Make in 'n out pie charts. Create an "in" pie chart for the income totals, and an "out" pie chart for the spending totals. Any surprises?

Have a non-judgmental discussion. Here's where you want to be long on listening and short on lecturing. Let your child make the observations. Offer constructive alternatives, like maybe a parent bounty for taking a bag lunch instead of eating out.

I created a Money In N Out spreadsheet template in Google Docs that you can copy and adjust to your liking. Check it out here.

Try the exercise with your teen, and see if it takes the money coming and going in a more mindful direction.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-25655013842359840972017-11-02T18:45:00.000-07:002017-11-02T18:45:22.956-07:00Plot Your Longest Market Losing Streak Since High School

My longest market losing streak since high school is pretty epic.

If I had invested $5,000 in the S&P 500 on January 1, 2000, it would have been worth less than that for 12 years in a row. Ouch.

But, as Tom Petty said, "Even the losers get lucky sometimes." Especially if they wait long enough in the market. By October 2017, that original $5,000 investment would have turned into $8,976.49. Not too shabby!

But, remember, Tom also said, "The waiting is the hardest part."

Here's a simple spreadsheet exercise you can use to convince your teens (or your spouse or even yourself) to invest patiently in the market — even when the going gets tough.

Plot your hypothetical market winning and losing streaks dating all the way back to high school.

My spreadsheet shows what would happen to an investment in the S&P 500 from a given year til now for every year since my freshman year in high school. That was 1976 in case you were wondering.

This is one of those rare times where the older you are, the better it gets. So, if you're a young parent, you may want to use grandpa or grandma as a reference point instead.

Here's how to make a spreadsheet like mine in Google Docs:

Find a source of historical S&P 500 data. I found mine here at multpl.com.

Add a price column for every year since the beginning of high school. Pro tip: I was able to do this very quickly by copying the data table entries on multpl.com from the top down to the 1976 entry, pasting them vertically into a temporary sheet, sorting the data by date descending, selecting the sorted data, creating a new sheet, and using Edit > Paste Special > Paste Transposed to lay out the data horizontally across the sheet. Beats the heck out of typing!

Define an annual contribution. Insert a couple rows up at the top, enter an amount for your fixed annual contribution size, and use Data > Named Ranges... to assign the amount to a name (like "contrib"). Then you can use that name in your formulas.

Enter rows representing the investment performance for each year. Find the column for the starting year, and enter the initial contribution amount as the formula "=contrib".
Fill out the remaining columns with the formula that calculates the value of the investment a year later by using the historical price data up above. My price data is in row 4, so the formula for the first anniversary of my initial investment in cell B5 looks like: "=A5+((B$4-A$4)/A$4)*A5".

The cool thing is I can now just select that cell along with all the cells to its right and type Control-r to copy the formula across the row. Now I'll see the value of the initial investment each year from inception to present day.

I repeat this for each successive row starting one column over to the right each time until I get to the current year. At the end, it looks like an upside down ramp.

Add conditional formatting to call out winning and losing years. A winning year is when the current cell's value is greater than the initial contribution. Make those cells green. Otherwise, make the cell red to mark a losing year. You can create the conditional formatting rules from the Format > Conditional formatting... menu entry.

Add running totals across the bottom. Summing the rows for each column will give the total value of all investments for each year across the bottom. I like to compare that with what would happen if I had just kept the contributions in cash the whole time.

Check out my win/loss plot.

Step back and admire all that green. It dominates. And, at the moment, there isn't a single row that hasn't turned green ultimately.

At the bottom right, compare the total ending value of the investments versus just stashing the same contribution in cash year after year. In my case: $1,719,627.25 vs $210,000.00.

Wow.

By the way, I'm ignoring dividends and expenses to keep things simple. With or without them, the point remains loud and clear: Dollar cost averaging plus low cost index funds for the win!

Despite an occasional epic losing streak, your simple market win/loss spreadsheet will prove to your kids that patient, consistent investing kicks cash's backside over the long run.

All the more reason to start your teen's Family 401(k) asap!

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 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-21770872660490275862017-10-20T11:17:00.000-07:002018-04-25T15:07:55.698-07:00Show Teens The Top Of the Stock Market

The stock market can be a mighty dry topic for teens. That's a shame, because jumping in early is a huge advantage.

So, you'll need a compelling hook to capture attention and make your key points stick. Points like: don't miss out by trying to time the market.

Try this clever teaching prop. It's a picture of the history of the "top" of the market. It's a classic I see floating around the Internet periodically in one form or another.

Visual. Amusing. Instructive. A teen teaching trifecta!

This picture makes it pretty darn clear that nobody knows for sure when the top of the market will come.

And even if this is the top of the market now, the odds are pretty darn good it won't be down the road. Like decades from now when your teenager is 59 and a half.

You know, the age your teen will start selling off those index funds in that killer Roth IRA you set up.

Wait, what? You've been holding off on plunking your teen's Roth contributions into an index fund? Well, it would be dumb to start Junior off at the top of the market, right?

Study that picture again.

Whether the market is at the top, the bottom, or somewhere in between, just jump in. And keep jumping in year after year.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-71122152353417522742017-10-12T16:23:00.000-07:002017-10-12T16:23:00.545-07:00Get Real Family Finance Tips From These Five Finalists

Tired of reading the same old puff pieces on kids and money in the mainstream media? Instead of boring platitudes from "experts" (some of whom haven't even raised kids!), how about some real insights from real parents in the new media trenches?

Start with these five Family Finance finalists for this year's Plutus Awards for independent financial publishers. I've picked a representative post or podcast from each to help you dive in:

Chief Mom Officer: Cell Phone For Kids — Why My Kids Don't Have One (And a Tell-All Interview).
Does your kid need a cell phone? Would you cover its cost? Most parents answer "yes" and "yes" — especially by the time a kid is 12. Not Chief Mom Officer. She and her kids (10 and 14) challenge the new normal. Find out why going against the grain might make sense in your family too. Whether you agree or not, there's plenty of good food for thought here.

Montana Money Adventures: 3 by 3: Minimalism with Kids.
Ms. Montana describes a clever toy rotation scheme for encouraging moderation in younger kids. The year long experiment has helped her kids derive more joy from less, lengthen their attention spans, increase creativity, decrease fighting, and reduce clutter. They've become mini minimalists. Sound like magic? See how she did it.

Mama Fish Saves: Why Tough Summer Jobs Beat Summer School For Teens.
After reading this, you'll want to ship your kids off to a tobacco farm instead of summer school. Well, maybe. Chelsea shares five important life lessons she learned working long, tough hours during the summer. Every kid could benefit from a session at the School of Hard Knocks. See why you might want to enroll your teen next summer.

Couple Money: 4 Ways Parents Can Teach Their Kids About Money.
Elle hosts one of the few podcasts squarely focused on family finances. Her episode with yours truly is a good place to start your binge listening streak. Naturally, we discuss teaching kids good money habits. Listen in as we share our favorite systems, tips, and stories.

Catherine Alford: Reflections on 7 Years of Blogging & Turning 30!
Wrangling kids. Agonizing between building out a risky but flexible home-based side hustle versus returning to the steady but inflexible 9 to 5. Holding down the home fort while your partner slogs through long hours at a demanding workplace. Wrestling with health issues. Balancing it all through midlife can be pretty overwhelming. Impersonal self-help platitudes from main stream media aren't worth much. Real stories from real people like Cat might just be the gold you're looking for. Plus, you can actually talk to her in the comments. Bonus.

So, if you really want to learn more about family finance, skip the mainstream puff and pick the independent plums. More educational. Less boring.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-15223949257418639322017-10-06T12:19:00.000-07:002017-10-06T12:19:24.705-07:00Shell Out Parent-Paid Interest To Encourage Saving

You've already heard me harp on the virtues of aggressive parent-paid interest. (If not, see here.) It's my favorite technique for getting kids fired up about saving and thinking twice about spending: "Look at that sweet interest deposit I just got on my card! I'm going to build up my balance so I can earn even more." Music to my ears.

I decided to run some numbers on our family finance site today to see just how much interest parents are shelling out in a typical month.

Last month, kids who received parent paid interest on their prepaid cards earned an average of $3.74. Nice! Infinitely more motivating than a traditional savings account.

One kid raked in a whopping $60. How? The kid's parents offer a super sweet deal: 1% of the the current card balance per week capped at a maximum payout of $12. Now that's aggressive! The kid bagged 5 maximum payments in the month because September had 5 Saturdays this year. Bonus!

OK, so $60 a month is over the top for most families, but $3.74 isn't.

That steady drumbeat of encouraging text messages just might cement a lifelong savings habit.

Worth a try, don't you think?

Here's the discouraging news: only 4.3% of the kids using our cards in September earned parent-paid interest.

So, here I am harping on it again. Time to step up and shell out, parents.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-40987430418087630412017-09-27T16:47:00.000-07:002017-09-27T17:51:03.445-07:00Motivate Kids To Maintain Value With A Trade-In Deal

I remember the time my oldest son thrashed an expensive laptop shortly after I bought it for him. Man, did that grind my gears.

I made him pay for the replacement by garnishing his allowance for 18 months. The lesson stuck. That replacement lasted a very long time.

That was an effective, yet reactive measure to teach my son to take care of his possessions. A proactive measure would have been better. Less wasteful.

Fellow youth financial literacy advocate, Amanda Grossman, has an effective proactive solution. She expands on a shared skin-in-the-game technique David Owen wrote about in his book The First National Bank of Dad, which happens to be one of my favorite books on teaching kids the value of money (the other being Ron Lieber's The Opposite of Spoiled). For the details on Amanda's solution and some great David Owen quotes, check out her recent post: Genius Hack to Get Your Kids to Take Better Care of Their Belongings.

In short, the recipe is:

Show your child how the resale value of a used item varies considerably with its condition.

Make a deal with your child to share a percentage of the proceeds when the item is eventually resold.

The key is to do this up-front, not after the fact. That's what creates the incentive to take care of the item from the beginning.

As a concrete example, my youngest son and I just looked up the trade-in value of a 32GB Apple iPhone 7 on Gazelle.com. Here's what we found:

 Phone Condition	 Trade-in Value

 Really Broken: doesn't power on.	 $75

 Fairly Broken: significant damage, but powers on.	 $110

 Good: makes calls, no cracks or major scratches.	 $280

 Flawless: looks and works like brand new.	 $310

It's helpful to draw a bar chart to put the values in clear perspective.

To be honest, we were a bit surprised to see how much the broken phones fetched. I was hoping they'd be closer to zero to further bolster my point. Nonetheless, good to know in case his phone gets thrashed by an event beyond his control.

We both noticed the leap in value transitioning from broken to good. That's the supporting point I was looking for. We discussed how the bar is probably pretty high to qualify for "Good" status and noted how close it was to "Flawless". No cracks, no major scratches, no major scuffs. That can get pretty subjective, so best to shoot high when maintaining the phone's condition. Music to my ears.

Looks like I won't be needing to garnish my youngest son's wages to replace a thrashed phone prematurely. Instead, he's looking forward to a future windfall on a high value trade-in.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-56072566184515555622017-09-21T18:00:00.002-07:002018-05-12T18:10:24.728-07:00Spur More Money Talk With Tech, Not Less

"I worry these automated apps and debit cards will cause me to have fewer thoughtful money conversations with my kids."

I hear that a lot. And it drives me nuts.

(It almost makes me as crazy as: "Don't give your kid a debit card, use cash instead." Nonsense. See my counterarguments here and here.)

The automation fear is frustrating because the effect of a well-designed family finance app is precisely the opposite. Thoughtful automation spurs more parent-child conversation about money, not less.

And, as Ron Lieber says: "Every conversation about money is also about values." So, that's a good thing.

Just because the manual mechanics are eliminated for things like:

remembering to deliver regular allowance,

accounting for chores or odd jobs,

calculating parent-paid interest,

and tracking transactions,

doesn't mean the conversation disappears too.

In fact, it's when the mechanics are not automated that the parents eventually fail to follow through, and the system collapses. No follow-through means no system means no conversations. Automation fixes that.

The app's automated audit trail and real time alerts proactively prompt an ongoing stream of money discussions with your child:

"I see you made 6 cents in interest for the week. Let's talk about how the incredible power of compound interest is putting your savings to work."

"I see you spent $3.99 at a specialty tea shop. Let's talk about whether it's worth paying that much. Maybe, maybe not."

"I see a $23.50 ATM transaction. Let's talk about how that $3.50 fee is a 17.5% tax on your $20 withdrawal, and how to avoid it next time."

"I see 20% of your allowance is still going to paying off that loan I made you for the latest iPhone. Let's talk about whether you'd make the same choice next time. Maybe there's some extra work you can do to pay it off faster."

"I see your Spotify payment was declined again. Let's talk about how that would cost you a $35 overdraft fee on a bank debit card and the importance of keeping a cushion in your account."

"I see your donation to the disaster relief agency went through. I'm so proud of you. Let's talk about how you picked the place to donate."

"I see your payment to me for your share of the family cell phone plan came through today. Painful isn't it? Let's talk about finding a cheaper option."

"I got your annual clothing budget proposal notification. Let's talk about a compromise on the line item for jeans. Oh, and you forgot to include underwear."

"I got your money request notification just now. Let's discuss why you're running short of funds before I approve or deny the request."

Those are all good, thoughtful conversations to have. Regularly. Small steps and repetition are key ingredients to building good habits.

Without automation, your only consistent money conversation with your kid might just be:

"Dad, why do you keep forgetting my allowance?"

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-18245779042560585962017-09-14T20:01:00.000-07:002017-09-14T21:53:10.824-07:005 Reasons To Turn Card Activity Alerts On For Your Kids

My buddy Keith sent me a message this week about an odd $46 Taco Bell transaction on his daughter's prepaid card:

Definitely stolen. [The card was lifted from her backpack.]

I'll have her fill out the form.

On the plus side, had we not had text alerts on the purchases, it would have been A LOT worse.

Seeing the alert, they wisely locked the card. We can only hope all those tacos gave the thief a nasty case of Montezuma's revenge.

Meanwhile, Keith is teaching his daughter a valuable personal finance habit: turn on activity alerts for your financial accounts.

I was disappointed to find Keith is in the minority of parents on our family finance site. Only 12.7% of the cards with purchase activity in the last 30 days have alerts turned on.

Why should they? Five good reasons:

Nip fraud at the bud. As we learned with the taco fraudster story above, you'll catch sketchy activity right away. Then you can lock your card to prevent further damage and order a replacement.

Stay on budget. A good prepaid or bank debit card activity alert will report not only the amount and merchant in real-time, but also the remaining balance. Knowing your dwindling balance after each and every purchase makes spending more mindful and easier to resist. It's a simple yet effective budgeting tool.

Peace of mind. Once your kids head away for school, they may not communicate with you as much any more. Mine didn't. Hey, they were busy! Card activity alerts are a simple way to know your kids are safe and sound without bugging them.

Cancel forgotten or unused services. Still being billed for that online game you stopped using (or enjoying) a while back? You'll be automatically reminded every month until you cancel.

Deliver Just-In-Time advice. "You just paid how much for what?" Your kid is going to make some rookie purchase mistakes. Alerts shared with parents provide an opportunity to deliver some sage personal finance wisdom in the moment while the incident is still fresh. An ATM withdrawal alert for $22.00 instead of $20.00? That's a $2.00 fee right there. Let your kid know there's a free ATM down the block. Save a couple bucks next time. Just keep it positive. Mistakes are an essential part of the learning process.

Of the 12.7% of cards with activity alerts enabled, almost half (46%) are sharing the alerts with parents. That's a good thing if it leads to thoughtful conversation and coaching. Not so much if becomes another form of nagging. Stay mindful of the difference for best results.

Sure, card activity alerts can notify you about fraudulent taco purchases. But, more importantly, they're part of the whole enchilada when it comes to teaching your kids about personal finance.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-39101203685127448182017-09-08T12:16:00.000-07:002017-09-08T14:16:08.146-07:00Teach Kids To Memorize Their Social Security Numbers

3,000 miles away from home. Zero friends. Intimidated. Vulnerable.

That sums up my first day at college.

Picture your kid in a similar situation.

Then throw this little wrinkle on top:

"I'm sorry, your card has been declined."

Great. Add broke to your kid's list.

The card's app says: "The incorrect PIN has been entered 3 times. A security block has been applied. Please contact the card processor via the 800 number on the back of your card."

Exasperated, your kid calls the number:

"Before we can help you with your card, we'll need to confirm your identity. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number."

Ummm... No clue.

"I'm sorry, we can't help you."

Far away from home. No friends. No confidence. And, now, no money. Total. Melt. Down.

"Mommmmmm...!"

Not the best start to school.

Fortunately, back in my day we used mostly cash.

But one of the young cardholders on our family finance site wasn't so lucky last week. Mom told us it was the straw that broke the emotional camel's back on a traumatic first day of school.

Which leads us to today's tip: help your kids memorize their social security numbers.

A Social Security Number (SSN) is something every American needs to know. It's a standard part of the identity verification protocol for a financial account. If you can't remember your PIN, you'll probably be asked for your your SSN or its last four digits. If you don't know your SSN, well... A financial institution can't help you if they can't confirm your identity.

PINs and SSNs are among the last numbers modern kids need to memorize now that smartphones remember everything else.

In the past, I've covered a trick for picking a memorable PIN based on a favorite phrase and a smartphone keypad.

But how about memorizing an SSN? You don't get to pick that number yourself.

Try the inverse:

Map the 9 SSN numbers to the letters on a mobile phone keypad.

See if your kid can devise a memorable phrase with words that start with the candidate letters.

For example, if the SSN was 778-95-4648 (no, that isn't my SSN — sheesh!), the mapping could yield the following mnemonic phrase:

 7	 7	 8	 9	 5	 4	 6	 4	 8

 PQRS	 PQRS	 TUV	 WXYZ	 JKL	 GHI	 MNO	 GHI	 TUV

 Parents	 Please	 Teach	 Your	 Kids	 Good	 Money	 Habits	 Today!

That's a lot easier for me to remember than a string of numbers.

With that little trick in their hip pockets, your kids may still be intimidated on their first day of college, but at least they won't be broke.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-65324324567549888332017-09-01T15:51:00.000-07:002017-09-01T16:57:02.066-07:00Help Kids Practice Philanthropy When Disaster Strikes

Houston, we have a problem.

No doubt your kids have seen the devastating images of families displaced by the brutal floods of Hurricane Harvey. Kids just like themselves have been driven from their homes.

It's sad and scary.

Meanwhile, our kids are also witnessing the amazing grace and kindness of citizens pulling together to help those in need.

It's inspiring and reassuring.

Even from afar, your kids can be a part of that helping spirit. Now is the perfect time to revisit that philanthropy discussion. Use one of these 20 great giving quotes to kick off the conversation.

Remember, no balance built up in a child's charitable giving account is too small to make a difference. Encourage your child to consider a donation through a reputable organization. Looking at anonymous transaction data for kids on our family finance site, we've seen donations to The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, United Way of Greater Houston, Houston Food Bank, and local churches to name just a few. It warms the heart.

Part of the philanthropic discussion should include the importance of doing your homework on the charitable agency itself. That can be a surprisingly tricky and controversial task — even for the largest, most recognizable names. Here's a prime example you might want to discuss with older teens.

Ultimately, you have to make your own judgement based on the information available. But kids should know that research is an important element of charitable giving. It's more than just the swipe of a card.

The bonus is that altruism improves your own child's well being. And, if your child can perform the transaction directly, it's particularly powerful.

Houston, working together, we have a solution.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-31342287352581184512017-08-24T12:52:00.000-07:002018-08-12T07:36:53.119-07:00Teach Kids How To Read The Free Trial Fine Print

"We're calling about a charge on Johnny's card. He says he never bought this service."

We hear that a lot at our family finance site.

More often than not, Johnny did buy that service. Eventually.

Of course, it started out free. And "free" is the only keyword Johnny saw or remembered.

Time to teach Johnny to look for another keyword: "cancel".

In fact, here's a good rule for your card-toting kid:

No subscribing without learning how to cancel first.

If your kid can't locate the cancellation instructions, then either your kid is not ready, or the service provider is too sketchy.

Be sure to review the cancellation terms in full. Some providers levy hefty extra fees for early cancellations. Check out this MoviePass example.

Sadly, lots of online services prey on unsuspecting or un-savvy kids. A classic example from a FamZoo customer service interaction:

"My daughter signed up for a "free" on-line subscription, thinking that it was free, but then keyed in her card and is now getting monthly fees — of $34.95 and $39.95."

We've seen specific complaints about MovieLush and ReelHD to name a couple.

Be sure to turn on card activity alerts so you can be on the lookout.

If you notice a sketchy or unfamiliar charge, show your kid how to google the description along with the keyword "cancel". You'll either find instructions from the provider or stories from other bilked consumers that might include a hidden cancellation recipe. If a charge is not legitimate and the merchant refuses to refund it, show your child how to file a claim for the unauthorized charges.

Rule number two for your card-toting kid:

No free trial without a cancellation reminder.

Have your kid enter the reminder on an online calendar or a checklist that will trigger an alert a few days before the end of the free trial period. Include the cancellation instructions found from Rule 1.

That way, your kid will have ample opportunity to not buy the service if it turns out to be less than expected.

With a little education, we can keep those mystery charges off little Johnny's card.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-20017932116563566182017-08-16T18:51:00.000-07:002017-08-16T18:51:23.625-07:0020 Back To School Family Finance Tips for Kids K-12

It's back-to-school season.

Let's kick it off on the right financial foot.

Whether you've got kids headed to kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, or high school, you'll find an idea or two to try here:

Start money conversations by kindergarten with these classic books — The traits, habits, and behaviors that lead to financial well-being start to gel as early as preschool. Here are nine books to get your youngster headed in the right direction.

Roll out the Premium Price Rule while back-to-school shopping — Impulsivity and peer-pressure can blow a hole in the back-to-school budget. Focus your kid on value and get some shared skin in the game with the Premium Price Rule.

Go refurbished on the back-to-school computer — The sooner your kids learn they don't need the latest, greatest shiny object, the shinier their financial futures will be. If your kid needs a computer for school, it's a perfect opportunity to make that point. Here are some key things to consider when going the refurbished route.

Fix your kid's allowance — Are you doing allowance right? Here's a six point checklist to find out. The beginning of the school year is a good time for a tune-up.

Boost college savings with an allowance — It seems counter-intuitive that giving kids an allowance could help parents save for college. Here's the behavioral finance trick to making it work.

Pay for studying, not the grade (if at all) — Do you have an opinion on paying kids for good grades? Either way, you'll want to check out this study. It might change your mind.

Plan your lost coat strategy — It's inevitable. Your kid is going to lose a coat at school this year. At least once. It can get expensive. Here are some ideas for planning your parental response.

Get your kid a card by middle school — The data from our family finance site shows that middle school is the perfect time to start putting plastic in your kid's hands. As long as it's the right plastic, with the right controls, no risk of debt, and plenty of educational features. Check out the age distribution data for FamZoo cards.

Show your kid the average price of a homemade sandwich — Your kid could save you almost $500 during the school year by eating a homemade sandwich instead of a quarter pounder with cheese. Here's the data.

Pay your teen to brown bag it for lunch — As kids get into the teen years, frugal habits like the brown bag lunch come under pressure. Here's one way to make the brown bag lunch cool, or at least profitable, for your teen. You can afford the bribe. You're already saving over $500 with the homemade sandwiches (see above).

Use real stats to set fast food boundaries — Brown-bagging it or not, junkets to the local fast food joint are a classic teen rite of social passage. Use these purchase statistics to set reasonable boundaries.

Get ready for that Starbucks peer-pressure — The data from our family finance site pinpoints when kids start to feel the pressure (or desire) to head off for Starbucks. How you can prepare.

Help kids rehearse for awkward money scenes with friends — "Come on, let's go get pizza. It's only 10 bucks. You can afford it!" When it comes to your kid's money dialog with friends, ditch the improv. Here's how to script a solid response ahead of time.

Help your kid embrace a frugal persona — The "strategy of identity" can help people form desirable habits. Here's how to apply the strategy to your kid's money habits in the face of peer pressure.

Encourage your kid to learn to code — If you have any opportunity to expose your kid to writing software. Do it. Here are 223,054 reasons why.

Put your kid in charge of a narrow budget — It's shocking how many kids enter college with zero experience managing a budget. Don't let that happen. Try this simple strategy this school year.

Reward your student with a spot bonus — Spot bonuses. They always make you feel appreciated as an employee. They'll make your kid feel appreciated too. Catch your kid doing something good this school year. 56 examples from real parents.

Don't necessarily discourage a part-time job — It's a shame that fewer and fewer students are holding down part-time jobs while in school. Here's evidence we should reverse that trend.

Show teens there's a scholarship for that — Your kid may think that scholarship opportunities only exist for math and science whizzes. Not true. There's a scholarship out there for darn near anything. Even drawing ducks. Show kids how to find them.

Review 529 statements with your teen every quarter — Here are 6 valuable lessons your teen can learn from 529 statements if you're willing to make a 15 minute investment every 3 months.

Kids aren't learning much about personal finance in school. So, if you only do one or two of the above, you'll still get a gold star in my grade book.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-29141830785792047162017-08-09T21:30:00.001-07:002017-08-09T21:30:36.934-07:00Post Wants On The Fridge To Chill Your Child's Spending

I love the delayed gratification system Joanna Hampton's parents instituted for purchase requests over a certain dollar amount:

Write the desired purchase on a piece of paper. Sign it. Date it.

Post the paper on the family fridge.

Wait the agreed upon number of days.

Make the purchase. Or not.

Often, the bloom falls off the rose long before the waiting period is up.

The duration was 30 days in Joanna's case, which seems a bit long. Pick what makes sense for your kids. In fact, you might scale the waiting period with the price: over $20? 2 days. Over $50? A week. Over $100? A month.

The digital variation on the fridge setup would be to have your child register the desired purchase in a text message, or in a shared google sheet, or on a shared google calendar, or via a money request in FamZoo.

Fridge or no fridge, it's a simple, effective system for putting the chill on instant gratification.

Looking for some other tips for delaying gratification? Try:

The 48-hour Rule.

The Abandon Cart Rule for online purchases.

The Written Proposal Rule for questionable purchases.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-77580340822893975552017-08-03T15:18:00.001-07:002017-08-03T15:18:42.125-07:00Pay Your Kid To Do Some Dirty Work

In my anonymous tour through recent transactions on our family finance site today, I found this gem for an industrious 11 year old:

 Bonus cleanup of dog throw up	 $5.00

One parent's dirty work is another kid's economic opportunity.

I won't regale you with the keywords I used to locate similar transactions, but it turns out the bowser barf bonus comes up (so to speak) from time to time. Payments range from $3 to $5.

And barf pays better than the other end. The average pup poop patrol payment hovers around $1.00.

Or, you could shift to rats:

 Change rat bedding	 $1.50

And finally, number two apparently beats number one according to this item:

 Empty pee bucket	 $0.25

Hmm, I don't want to know either, but let's assume it's on a farm somewhere!

On the less dirty and more lucrative side of the ledger, we have:

 Washing Dogs and Cleaning Kitchen	 $13.00

 Upholstery cleaning	 $25.00

Wondering how much to shell out for that dirty job? You might be able to calibrate your offer based on this payment data for more normal chores.

If you can't think of any dirty jobs for your kids to do, how about some dangerous ones instead?

Otherwise, challenge the kids to come up with opportunities themselves. And let them negotiate their own compensation. It's good practice.

Once the kids master some dirty work around the house for you, they'll be ready to level up to a sucky summer job for somebody else next year.

Why push your kid to take on crappy work? It builds character. And, it pays.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-76985837712144597602017-07-27T12:27:00.000-07:002017-07-27T12:27:47.616-07:00Replace Chore Charts With Money Requests To Promote A Proactive Work Ethic

It's a dog-eat-dog work world out there!

Workers need to be proactive problem solvers and savvy negotiators to thrive in today's increasingly entrepreneurial, gig-oriented economy.

So, how do we encourage those skills in our kids early on?

Try ditching the parent-driven allowance and chore systems. Put the kids in charge instead.

That's what we're seeing some families do on our family finance site.

Parents are putting the onus on the kids to:

Identify work that needs to be done around the house.

Do the work.

Negotiate payment.

How do I know? I sifted through some recent (anonymous) money request data from FamZoo.com. Here's a sampling:

 Child Request	 Parent Response

 $10.00
"Mowed lawn front and back."
	 Approved $10.00.
"Thank you!"

 $16.00
"Monday: Worked 3 hrs Add $1 because I put G*** to sleep in the bed. Total owed: $16."
	 Approved $16.00.
(Nicely played with the proactive bonus work.)

 $2.00
"I helped T*** with the plants, and I am awesome so I deserve it anyways."
	 Approved $2.00.
"Lucky I didn't decline."

(Looks like a shot across the bow from Mom to polish up those negotiating skills!)

 $10.00
"I helped you with gardening stuff yesterday for 3 hours... ($2.50/hour + $2.50 for no whining!)"
	 Approved $10.00.
"Thank you! I couldn't get done so quickly without you!!! And the No Whining is SO NICE ;)."

(Clever touch with the no-whining surcharge.)

 $5.00
"I helped clean up the pool deck."
	 Approved $15.00.
"You worked really hard. Thank you for all of your help! You deserve $15 instead of $5. Love, Dad"

(Ka-ching! Over-delivery scores the big payoff!)

 $250.00
"I would like this because I am the best human being on this planet. No one can ever out do my awesomeness or be as good as me! (Plus I also really want a laptop and a phone and a shopping spree) Please keep this notified in your mind! Warm Regards, Your Favorite child of all times."
	 Declined. $0.00.
(As they say, talk is cheap. No results, no money!)

These parents don't have to remember to make allowance payments or set up chore schedules. If the kids need money, the ball is in their court. The rules are simple: Identify work that needs to be done, do it, and negotiate your own compensation.

Sounds like a pretty appealing system, doesn't it?

Forcing kids to be proactive problem solvers and savvy negotiators today will give them a leg up in the business world tomorrow — from dog-eat-dog to top dog.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506787397667433438.post-66869872112706622632017-07-20T22:48:00.001-07:002021-06-24T16:09:20.406-07:00Build Your Teen's Credit Score With A Secured Card

Your kids will probably be caught off guard the first time someone inquires about their credit history. For my kids, it was that first apartment rental in college. So building a solid credit score early can be a smart move. It's also an important part of your child's financial education.

Prepaid debit cards are excellent financial training wheels for kids and teens. They're safe and accessible. But they don't build a credit history.

Credit cards build a credit history. But safe and accessible for teens? Not so much.

Teens can do a lot of serious financial damage with a credit card in a very short period of time. Like when a kid racked up $7,625.88 on his parent's credit card playing Xbox games.

Legally, a teen can't get a credit card as an independent cardholder until age 18. But even then, most teens won't qualify. They have to be able to demonstrate a sufficient steady source of income outside of Mom or Dad. Most can't meet that bar.

You could add your teen as an authorized user on your own credit card, or you could co-sign for your teen on a separate card. But both routes put your own credit history (and budget) at risk.

Consider a secured credit card instead.

A secured card requires an up-front deposit. That security deposit dictates the credit limit on the card. Often they're the same amount. If your kid falls behind, the card issuer can dip into the deposit to cover delinquent payments or late fees. When the card is closed or upgraded to a regular credit card, the security deposit (less any delinquent obligations) will be returned. The rules on this will vary and are spelled out in the cardholder agreement, like this one from Discover.

But before applying for the secured card, consider imposing two prerequisites for your teen:

A sustained responsible track record with a debit card. If your teen can't pass the No-Decline Challenge, he isn't ready.

The security deposit in hand. Make your teen come up with the security deposit, not you. If your teen can't save the few hundred dollars required, she isn't ready.

With the prerequisites met, you can check out sites like Magnify Money to compare secured credit card offerings. At the moment, the top pick is the Discover it Secured Credit Card.

I culled through the user reviews of the Discover card and found a few things to look out for:

Applying might be a hassle. "Applying for the card is like enlisting in the military, all the documentation required is ridiculous."

Slow payment posting can cause unexpected declines. "The fact that it takes 10 days to adjust your available balance after the payment is taken out of my checking account, is a killer for me." That means your teen could be bumping up against the card limit and getting purchases declined well after a balance payment is made.

Stinginess with limit increases. "I figured my limit would be increased as I use it and time passes but nothing has changed."

Lengthy graduation period. "I have to wait a whole year to be converted to an unsecured card."

To circumvent any issues with card limits and ensure your teen can pay the card off in full every month with low utilization, I recommend a hybrid strategy:

Use the secured card in conjunction with a prepaid card.

Put a few predictable or fixed recurring billings on the secured credit card that fall well below its limit and can be comfortably paid off each month.

Leave the remaining discretionary spending on the prepaid card to stay on budget and avoid any risk of debt.

On budget. No debt. A solid credit score. Your teen is set.

And your teen's eventual landlord won't be coming after you as the cosigner for the rent either. Bonus.

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 Bill Dwighthttp://email@example.com