About

I grew up not knowing much about finances. Whether it was as simple as paying the bills or knowing more in depth things about retirement, I wasn’t taught much by my parents. Even when I started earning a wage, they didn’t tell me about things like putting a certain amount into savings as a type of investment.

 In all reality, I think part of the greater majority of kids who grew up in such a way. Perhaps parents don’t do the basics themselves. Or perhaps they feel like it won’t stick with their children through life and that it’s “pointless” to teach a child such things. But me? Well, when I have kids and when they get to the age that I’m giving them an allowance or they’re making their own money in high school, I’m going to teach them about investing, putting money away, budgeting, and all sorts of those things.

I feel like if I had a better financial foundation upon which to build my future, I’d be in a better spot right now. Now, I’m comfortable as is here and now. But I certainly could be in far less debt with a similar paying job (or better). I just didn’t know any better. I didn’t know to save when I was young. I didn’t know to not take out more loans than needed in college. I didn’t know to begin investing as soon as I could. I just didn’t know. I’m at the point now where I know I need different kinds of insurances before marriage and kids. Life insurance, though, is still one of those things I’ve put off getting.

I’m sure I’d already have something set up if I had known better at a younger age, but that’s not the case. That’s why I want to teach my kids when they’re young. It isn’t as if I’m currently unhappy. But I can confidently say I’d be happier had I known right from wrong financially when I was a kid. But my kids? Well, they’ll know what to do and what not to do with their money.

They’ll do things like begin investing in retirement funds right out of high school and purchasing a life insurance policy after college. Maybe that’ll take me giving them gentle nudges in the right direction or just instilling a good regimen super early in their lives. But there’s no doubt that they’ll know what to do and be far, far ahead of me when they’re my age.