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Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smart money lessons to teach teens on your next family trip
Vacations can be a wonderful time to relax and create fun, family memories. But family trips are also full of teachable moments — especially when it comes to money and budgeting. As a parent, you're likely already budgeting for vacation to make sure you and your kids have a great time without coming home from the trip with a pile of debt. And as your children grow old enough to understand basic budgeting concepts, it's important to pass along those essential money lessons to them as well. This embedded content is not available in your region. With the right approach (and the right tools), travel can become the perfect opportunity to teach teens about budgeting, spending, and saving in a fun and rewarding way. Here's how to do it. When you take a family trip, travel creates natural boundaries around time, budget, and spending choices. Within your vacation budget, you likely allocate money for snacks, souvenirs, and experiences for your child. And if your teen is trustworthy, you may be able to give them control over some of that spending and decision making during the trip. Giving your teen the chance to manage part of their vacation budget (like snacks or souvenir money) creates valuable opportunities for real-world financial education. These lessons are often far more impactful than abstract money conversations at home. Plus, even for teens who work part-time or receive an allowance, handling larger amounts of money on vacation may feel empowering since it's not an everyday experience. Travel budgeting also provides your child with instant feedback about the consequences of their financial choices. If your teen is disciplined and paces their spending, they'll have cash to last throughout the trip. But if they blow their snack budget on day one, they may regret their spending decisions later. (Tip: Several teen-focused financial apps feature parental controls so you can set daily spending limits to help your child avoid overspending.) Read more: Vacation savings accounts: Are they worth it for families? Several youth-focused financial tools can help kids and teens build smart money habits, both on vacation and in everyday life. Here are a few you might want to consider. Greenlight: This family finance app and debit card for kids lets parents transfer money instantly, set up flexible spending controls, and receive real-time notifications about account activity. Meanwhile, kids can make smart spending decisions using a physical debit card, smartphone, or smartwatch. Capital One MONEY Teen Checking Account: This checking account (for children 8 and above) includes mobile apps for parents and teens, parental controls, a fee-free debit card, real-time alerts, and the ability to lock or unlock the card. You can also link external bank accounts and send money through Zelle. Qube Family: The family plan from Qube Money is a family bank account and budgeting system in one. Kids receive a debit card and manage their money using a digital envelope budgeting method. Parents can transfer money and set up spending categories to help guide decision making. Acorns Early: This family money app comes with a savings account for kids, a custom debit card, chore and allowance tracking, and parental controls. It also allows friends and family to send money using special gift links for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. If you're looking for a teen debit card and app that works well for travel, focus on features such as no ATM fees, no foreign transaction fees, freeze card options, parental oversight, and instant transfers. Also, it's smart to search for teen bank accounts with no monthly maintenance fees so your child can learn money-management skills without extra costs. These types of tools can make it easier to give teens some financial independence without giving up total control. If you decide to give your teen more financial freedom on vacation, it's also important to set them up for success. After all, this may be their first time managing a larger amount of money or following a budget over several days. Start by setting a vacation allowance and loading it onto their teen debit card in advance. Next, talk to your teen about how to plan for daily expenses such as snacks, souvenirs, arcade games, or other entertainment options. Also, encourage your teen to track their spending using the banking app — making sure to choose spending categories that fit their age and maturity level. At the end of the trip, take time to sit down and talk about what worked and what they could do differently next time. Keep the conversation positive. Even mistakes can be great learning opportunities. Read more: Vacation savings accounts: Are they worth it for families? Letting teens manage some of their vacation budget not only teaches important life skills but also builds financial confidence and independence. When kids get the chance to make their own spending decisions, they learn to evaluate trade-offs (e.g., a snack now vs. a souvenir later). These types of small choices add up to better financial habits over time. Kids quickly learn that spending all of their money on the first day might feel fun in the moment, but those choices lead to financial regret down the road. Instead, learning to plan, prioritize, and delay gratification are essential money-management skills that will help them long after vacation is over. Perhaps the biggest benefit of letting your kids manage money on vacation is the fact that travel budgeting can help prepare teens for the next phase of their lives. Whether your child is saving for college, managing expenses on a school trip, or preparing for adulthood, real-world money management experience is always valuable. Read more: How I pair travel credit cards with a high-yield savings account to maximize family vacations As a parent, it's not always easy to give up control and let your kids take the reins. But the payoff is worth it. A family vacation can be a safe, low-risk environment where your child can learn to manage money with training wheels. Even if your child makes some mistakes along the way, they can learn from them. And the right teen checking account and debit card should feature parental controls to help you put safety limits in place. Of course, financial tools like youth debit cards and teen checking accounts aren't just about spending (on vacation or otherwise). They're powerful educational tools that can turn everyday moments, like choosing between more ice cream or arcade time, into lasting financial lessons. With a little planning, your next family trip can be more than fun. It can also help you raise a more confident, capable, and financially savvy teen.
Globe and Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
This advisor has seen attitudes toward sales and planning change in her 48 years in the industry
In the Behind the Advice series, Globe Advisor asks advisors about their relationship with money from a young age, lessons learned over the years and how their experiences influence the advice they give to clients. We've also launched a Behind the Advice podcast – find all the episodes here. Audrey Chiang, an advisor and president with Audrey Chiang Insurance Services Inc. at Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc. in Toronto, talks about growing up in Hong Kong before moving to Canada to study, losing money in the dot-com meltdown, and changes she's seen in her 48 years as an advisor: Describe your upbringing. I was born in the 1950s in Hong Kong, the youngest of seven children. My father was a businessman; he passed away many years ago. My mother, who is still alive – she just turned 104 – was a housewife. My parents were very careful in running the household expenses. My mother gave us a new wardrobe once a year, only during the Chinese New Year. They taught us not to spend money unnecessarily and encouraged us to study hard and get a good education if we wanted to become successful one day. Two of my older siblings came to Canada for university. I was lucky that my parents also allowed me to study abroad. I came to Canada when I was a teenager. I finished my high school education in Saskatchewan and studied economics at McMaster University in Hamilton. Describe your first money lesson. When I moved to Canada, my parents gave me $3,000 as spending money, which was a lot in the early 1970s. (They covered my school and housing costs.) It was the first time I had been given such a large amount of money. I spent very little of it. I worked during the summer as a chambermaid at a hotel, earning $2.75 an hour. I saved as much of that money as I could. Once I went to university, I applied for student loans and worked part-time to support my living expenses. I was very careful not to spend money unnecessarily, which is something I continue to do today. I save money first before I spend. I only buy what I can afford. What did you want to be when you grew up, and how did you get into financial services? Growing up, I wanted to become a banker. I was inspired by my father, who was a successful businessman. My parents were also into buying stocks and real estate in Hong Kong. After getting my university degree, I applied for jobs in the banking and insurance sectors. I picked the insurance business because the recruiter told me that I could be my own boss and earn a higher income helping clients with their health and wealth protection needs. What decision around money and investing made the greatest impact on your life? I am always looking for growth opportunities. My husband and I have moved our family four times in the past 40 years, switching from smaller to larger homes and taking advantage of no tax on the sale of principal residences. We also invest in stocks and mutual funds. It's also something we teach our three children to do. What is the biggest money mistake you've made, and what did you learn from it? My husband and I didn't have experience in the stock market and lost money in the dot-com bubble in 2001. After that, we learned not to invest heavily in a single sector. Diversification is the most effective strategy for investing. Also, be disciplined. Don't chase high returns. Don't be greedy. What do you worry about when it comes to money, both personally and in the industry? I worry about losing my own money and that of my clients. I will evaluate the risk before investing and always put my clients' needs at the centre, including their goals, needs, lifestyle considerations and potential risks. How long have you been an advisor, and what have been some of the major changes you've seen in your career to date? I just celebrated my 48th anniversary of being an advisor. When I started in my 20s, it was more about selling products than financial planning. Today, people have more assets and wealth, and therefore require more comprehensive planning strategies. Technology has also changed a lot. There's a lot of great software that helps us with planning strategies. There's also AI software that helps advisors streamline our work, which means we can spend more time helping clients directly. What advice do you have for someone who wants to enter your business? It's a lucrative business being an insurance and investment advisor. You have to enjoy what you're doing in the business. You have to prepare to work long hours. You need to continue your education to give valuable advice to the clients. It's not about making a sale. You need to be honest and provide continuous service to the clients. This interview has been edited and condensed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shaq Says 'My Parents Did A Great Job Of Raising Me With Horror Stories,' Shares The Smartest 'Money Move' He Ever Made
Shaquille O'Neal has worn many hats, including NBA champion, businessman, rapper, DJ, actor, and even honorary sheriff. But behind his success is a story rooted in humility, tough love, and financial discipline. In a recent interview with Ashley Nevel, Shaq opened up about the money lessons that shaped his life and the biggest financial move he ever made. 'My parents did a great job of raising me with horror stories,' he said. 'When you come from nothing and get into something, you have a decision to make: Do you want to stay in something or go back to nothing?' Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Those early warnings turned into lifelong habits. Shaq said he was determined to take care of his family, especially after asking his mom to quit her job. 'If I don't do what I'm supposed to do, my mother loses her house. That's the only thing I'm focusing on.' He also shared a moment that stuck with him from childhood. One day, his mother stared at a small house with admiration. As a kid dreaming of a better life, Shaq made a promise to himself: one day he'd buy her a house like that. And he did. While many athletes chase flashy investments early on, Shaq quickly learned the value of playing the long game. 'When I first came in, I was trying to get rich quick and failed on every investment,' he admitted. That changed after hearing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos say, 'If you invest in things that change people's lives, the return will always be rewarding.' Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — From then on, he focused on practical, impactful partnerships. 'It's not about money moves. It's about partnerships. It's about teamwork,' he said. Instead of starting businesses from scratch, he partnered with companies that already had the infrastructure, like his long-running deal with Icy Hot. 'I'm on my 18th renewal with Icy Hot.' The smartest move he ever made? Annuities. 'Somebody told me a word that I've never heard in my life—annuity.' He continued, 'People always say invest, but you have to know what you're investing in. I got so much money, let me put it away, and then this is just in case everything goes wrong, I can still collect when I'm 40, 45, and 50.' Shaq emphasized that education doesn't always mean formal schooling. 'Education means whatever business or opportunity you may have for yourself, educate yourself to become a master in whatever you're doing,' he said. And while the NBA legend is known for his big personality and sense of humor, he's serious when it comes to legacy. 'Everything I do is just based on family, education and being able to take advantage of opportunities.' Read Next: Nancy Pelosi Invested $5 Million In An AI Company Last Year — Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Shaq Says 'My Parents Did A Great Job Of Raising Me With Horror Stories,' Shares The Smartest 'Money Move' He Ever Made originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
