Nanny to Mommy

I don't know about your kids, but mine have enough toys. We have a playroom full and now they are starting to take over their bedrooms and this is after donating a ton! I honestly don't know how they get so many; we are just very fortunate to have a lot of people in our lives that buy for them. But I have been thinking of moving to something different this year instead of toys. What if there was a way to help them learn to invest instead of cluttering our home with more stuff they don't need?

I have been trying to teach my daughter about earning her own money. Right now in the US, only 7 states require high school students to pass a basic finance test in order to graduate. The lack of financial education in schools are the major reason young Americans aren’t prepared to invest in their futures. But 89% of parents say tying allowance to chores is good training for the real world.

This is a sponsored conversation for SheSpeaks on behalf of Prudential. All opinions are my own.

The number one thing I have noticed about becoming a parent - kids aren't cheap. Even before we started to plan our family, we considered the expenses. Would I be able to stay home? Would we have to pay for day care? How much debt did we need to pay off? Then they are babies and they need a lot of stuff! Diapers, bottles, blankets, cribs, pacifiers, and the list is a mile long. When they get a little older you think that the expenses will slow down, but you have to pay for school, extracurricular activities, and shoes every month because they just keep growing.

Financial Planning for a Family

Even if your child is like mine and goes to public school, there are expenses every week that you need to pay for. What about when they get older - a safe car, cell phone, college, weddings... I am all for making my children get a job and help with their own finances, but there is only so much that a minimum job can pay for.

If you are a home owner you probably worked long and hard to get where you are. Years of work and savings poured into making those 4 brick walls and roof your family refuge. A home is where important life memories are made, where family and friends can gather, and where you can enjoy a sense of safety and comfort. Your home is something that you work hard to call your own and should never be in fear of losing due to unforeseen circumstances.

Foreclosure can be a very frightful thing and RIGHT NOW THERE IS HELP!