May 09, 2013

FamilyMint at Burns Park Elementary School

May 09, 2013/ Bob

“I am reaching my goals," said one 5th grader in my class.” “I’d like to earn money for charity by doing extra chores,” exclaimed another. My students are reaching for things they normally would not have, if it weren't for FamilyMint. They now know how to fill out a check, take care of adding and subtracting from their register, and even "envelope" their money. As a teacher, I appreciate helping students brush up on money skills and vocabulary, as well as seeing how happy they are to spend a little time with parents around goal setting and financial literacy.

May 06, 2013

FamilyMint at Heritage Elementary

May 06, 2013/ Bob

David Fiske, a 5th grade mathematics teacher at Heritage Elementary school in Saline, MI, and his class have completed the FamilyMint Money Management Certification program. The program was generously sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor. Mr. Fiske stated, "Real life application is important for student learning. This program gave my fifth grade students practical experience using a financial program which connected with the mathematics concepts that they learn in the classroom and provides a financial unit that is clear and user-friendly."

April 27, 2013

Paying with cash versus credit

April 27, 2013/ Donna

According to the Federal Reserve's April 2013 G-19 Consumer Credit Report, Americans owe a hefty $850.9 billion in credit card debt, or $ 6,890 per household. If we are going to raise money-smart kids, we need to teach them the potential perils of relying on credit cards, and explain to them (and even model) the benefits of using cash. Here are some great reasons to choose cash over credit.

April 10, 2013

Kids Investing in Stocks

April 10, 2013/ Donna

If you've followed our blog for very long you know that we firmly believe it’s never too early to begin teaching children the fundamentals of financial literacy. It’s also a great idea to teach them about investing and the best way for them to learn is practically—by doing.

April 04, 2013

Fun Money Facts

April 04, 2013/ Donna

Cattle are probably the oldest of all forms of money. Cattle as money dates back to 9000 B.C. Some cattle were still used as money in parts of Africa in the middle of the 20th century. Check out more fun money facts here.

March 04, 2013

Teaching kids about charitable giving

March 04, 2013/ Donna

Teaching kids about financial literacy is something parents should make a priority early in the lives of their children. Before they can take those steps though, parents should educate their children about the need for and benefits of money. Along those lines, they should also relate the importance of giving to others less fortunate. Charitable contributions—even little ones—can make a big difference in a child’s community, and they don’t always have to be monetary.

September 27, 2012

Money Meetings Encourage Life Long Positive Money Habits

September 27, 2012/ Bob

Have you set-aside ample time to regularly sit down and have “money meetings” with your children to discuss their money habits? If not, why not start now? And in addition to a successful school year, your children will also learn life long positive money habits.

September 03, 2012

Encouraging Young Entrepreneurs

September 03, 2012/ Bob

Earning money is vital to a sound financial future, and with our minds turned towards the celebration of Labor Day, what better time than now to help kids get in touch with their inner entrepreneur as early as possible.

July 03, 2012

Teaching Prudent Investment Habits to Children

July 03, 2012/ Bob

Most experts suggest that kids need a more interactive experience to learn things, obviously leveraging their desire to play video games. Your child needs quality time with a parent, and what better way is there than to use FamilyMint to learn about managing money and go through good books together and highlight what is important and what is not.

June 18, 2012

The Benefits of Giving Back

June 18, 2012/ Bob

Through the act of giving, children start to build an understanding of needs outside of their own. They begin to learn about sacrifice and thinking of others before themselves.

May 04, 2012

Have you had "The Talk" with your kids?

May 04, 2012/ Jeff

It's an uncomfortable thing to talk about. You're not sure how to bring it up, and your kids aren't jumping up and down to talk with you about it either.

April 05, 2012

"Kidpreneurs - Young Entrepreneurs with Big Ideas" A FamilyMint Book Review

April 05, 2012/ Jeff

Adam and Matthew are serial entrepreneurs and have boiled the subject of kids starting businesses down into 60 short and enjoyable pages. The look and feel is like that of a fun, colorful scrapbook rather than boring business book. I would definitely recommend it for parents with kids between the ages of 7 and 14.

March 09, 2012

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Debt

March 09, 2012/ Bob

Once upon a time there lived a little girl who was loved so dearly, and it could be seen very clearly. Her name was Little Red Riding Hood, a girl so sweet and so good. Her parents gave her all the best, but did they truly prepare her for her first big test? She was popular and had many a friend, but unfortunately did not learn how to wisely save and spend.

March 01, 2012

Lessons From Rich Dad Poor Dad (Summary #6)

March 01, 2012/ Jeff

In this last entry of the series, we cover methods to overcome obstacles, cynicism, laziness, and bad habits, as well as concrete ideas to getting started

February 24, 2012

Lessons From Rich Dad Poor Dad (Summary #5)

February 24, 2012/ Jeff

Today we learn that money can be created, and your financial IQ is the way to create it.

February 15, 2012

Lessons From Rich Dad Poor Dad (Summary #4)

February 15, 2012/ Jeff

We continue the series and focus on Lesson 3: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS and Lesson 4: THE HISTORY OF TAXES AND THE POWER OF CORPORATIONS

February 08, 2012

Lessons From Rich Dad Poor Dad (Summary #3)

February 08, 2012/ Jeff

With Summary #3, we focus on Lesson 2: WHY TEACH FINANCIAL LITERACY, and answer the question WHY DO THE RICH REALLY DO GET RICHER?

February 01, 2012

Lessons From Rich Dad Poor Dad (Summary #2)

February 01, 2012/ Jeff

We continue the series on a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad and focus on Lesson 1: THE RICH DON'T WORK FOR MONEY

January 26, 2012

Kids Learn Business Skills by Preparing a Dinner Menu

January 26, 2012/ Jeff

written by: Coach Funk, CFP® at www.SavingsCoach.comHanging out with my 10 and 12 year old nephews last weekend, I heard excitement in their voices when they looked up from their iPod apps and told me about cooking dinner for the family last week. They told me the great lesson they learned here is that they get to keep the PROFIT.

January 23, 2012

Lessons From Rich Dad Poor Dad (Summary #1)

January 23, 2012/ Jeff

The “Lessons From” series are bite-sized summaries of books about financial literacy for parents raising money-smart kids.Today we start with a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter

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