Category: Start saving young

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Start saving young

Having “The Talk” About Making Your Money Work Harder: Part 1

I’m really excited to start this post today! J and I had some great conversations this weekend that I will write about in a five-part series on Making Your Money Work Harder.

First, we reviewed how we’ve already started making our money work harder by saving.

Savings accounts and the Bank of Mom

If you’ve been around for awhile, you know the drill, but just in case you’re new, here’s the skinny:

  • I pay J 3% interest on the money he puts into his savings envelope every month. I give him a paper statement and email him the same statement each month (posterity!). As he records the interest in his register, we review how the month went and look at how he earned more interest than in previous months. (Read one of our recent summaries.)
  • A few times each year, we take a trip to our local bank and deposit the money. Bank visits are a great time for conversation, and J always enjoys going because the tellers are often really nice to him. They love to see kids!
  • After that, I keep the minimum in the account to avoid a fee and transfer the rest to an online bank that pays a higher interest rate. Read all about our banking strategy.

Today we logged in to the local and online bank accounts. We reviewed the amount in each account and noted the current interest rate. The local bank account has a rate of 0.01% — yikes! The online bank account’s rate is 1.20% — not too bad (comparatively speaking).

We discussed wanting a high interest rate when you’re saving (so you earn more). And when you’re borrowing, you want the interest rate to be low (so it doesn’t cost you as much).

Just a side note, we haven’t really talked about borrowing or debt yet. I’m hoping to get the savings and growth lessons underway to have more TIME on our side. After we talk about saving and investing, start the accounts we want to start and look/talk about them monthly, we’ll move on to borrowing and debt.

Other vehicles for saving money

I told J that there were OTHER ways of putting his money to work, ways that may pay even more. He was excited! He pulled up a chair and said, “Okay, I want to know those things.”

I’ll cover each topic in depth in the subsequent posts, but as an overview, we dived into:

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Start saving young

Kids Spending Money

Today’s post comes to you from my son, J! He’s here to talk to you parents about kids who spend all their money.

Does your kid like to spend his or her money once they get it? If so, here is a tip for you.

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August 2017 Interest Report (and Total Savings at the Bank of Mom)

For over a year, I have been paying J interest at the Bank of Mom.

He started with $45.00 and earned $1.35 the first month. (I pay 3% monthly.)

This month, he’s up to $231.99 and earned $6.76 in interest.

I print and email him a copy of the statement each month. (He has his own email address and when I send the statement, I add other notes and tips. Hopefully he will read these someday and remember what we talked about.)

Here’s his statement for this month:

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Start saving young

How National Bank of Mom Rewards Savings

By this time, you already know that we subscribe to a three-envelope system (complete with registers) for savings, spending and giving. At times, we also use an additional envelope for short-term savings — when J is saving for a larger purchase a few months in advance.

The first stop in our banking process (and the reason for the name of this blog) centers around the savings envelope.

Every month on the 9th, I pay interest on the total in J’s savings envelope. To make it enough that he can see a tangible result (and earn more than the few cents he would at a bank), I pay 3% monthly.

I create a bank statement, give him a printout and also email him a copy. He writes the interest amount in his savings register to balance the account.

I developed a spreadsheet to calculate the amount and format a nice-looking statement for him. (Download a copy of the spreadsheet.) Fill in the sections in blue on the first sheet. Each month, enter the deposits made in the appropriate section, and the interest and totals will recalculate. Print a copy or save as a PDF and email away.

What is interest?

When borrowing money, interest is the money that you pay on top of what you borrow. Borrow money, pay it back AND extra.

When saving money, interest is the money that you earn. The bank “borrows” money from you and gives you a percentage of that money (for the privilege of using it). Put money in and get that amount back PLUS more.

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Banking for Kids

In order to maximize savings and provide a good learning experience, I subscribe to a three-bank system. J has savings accounts at the National Bank of Mom, our local bank and an online bank.

Bank of Mom

The first stop for savings is the National Bank of Mom. J divides his money between his savings, spending and giving envelopes, and I pay interest monthly on the money in his savings envelope. He gets a statement printed and emailed to him, and he writes the interest in the register, keeping the account balanced. We make note of the increasing amount of interest each month, which will prepare us for a more in-depth conversation about compounding. Right now, our focus is on putting at least 10% of all money into savings and the idea that your money can make money.

Local Bank

Every few months, we take the cash from the savings envelope to our local bank. I think it’s important for him to go to a physical bank and deposit money. (So much happens electronically nowadays, and I think it can be difficult for kids to understand. This is why I pay his interest and allowance in cash, so that he can hold it in his hands and work with it.) The tellers are also very nice to him, which adds to his experience.

When looking for a bank, you might want to start with your own bank, but you could also look at other local banks or credit unions. Also important when choosing a bank:

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