Teaching Teens the ABCs of Using Credit Wisely
Teens notice each time you pull out the plastic — but do they understand how it works? Probably not. You might be using a debit or credit card — very different ways to pay for things, but to kids, they look the same. Any time you make a purchase, regardless of whether you use cash, credit or debit, there’s an opportunity to teach kids about savings, budgeting and credit.
Learning about credit cards and debit cards is particularly important for teens, with debit cards becoming a very good option over credit cards. In fact, 50 percent of teens aged 18 and 19 had a debit card in 2005, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, up from 37 percent in 2001. Moreover, credit cards held by this same group declined to 25 percent in 2005 from 45 percent in 2001. Teens and their parents are realizing that a debit card can be a very valuable budgeting tool since cardholders can only spend what is already in their account (unless there are special overdraft features of the card). As kids mature, a credit card will be an important option in order to establish a credit history that may be necessary to rent or purchase a home. The credit history may even be checked by a potential employer. Thus, helping your teens develop good credit management habits will help them avoid serious consequences that can last for years.
An opportune time to talk about spending and using debit and credit cards is before shopping for school clothes. Talk about:
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