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Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn about Investing

Anyone dealing with financial decisions in adulthood wishes they started their financial education earlier. After all, it would have been a lot easier for you to start investing as a teenager with your first job rather than wait until you were an adult with bills to pay.

About one-third of people who took part in a recent study conducted by the financial services firm D.A. Davidson agreed that children should begin learning about financial literacy as early as age 10. However, less than half of the states in the United States mandate that high school students take a personal finance course.

In this article, we will run you through how you can impart financial knowledge to your child so they can learn how to invest and make financial decisions for the future.

1 - Including Them in the Conversation

The first step in teaching your child how to invest their money is to get them comfortable with the notion of money itself. Just because your children are small doesn't mean you should avoid discussing financial matters completely. 

When it comes to teaching kids about money, budgeting, paying the bills, and making smart purchases, even the most casual dinner table discussions may have a significant impact.

2 - Helping Them Understand the Importance of Investing

Consider investing as a long-term strategy rather than a means of making instant money in the market. An essential thing you can do for your children is to show them that having a plan for your money isn't just a method to enjoy a lavish lifestyle as they see in movies and on television.

3 - Helping Them Create Financial Goals

Set investing objectives with your children to help them understand the significance of having a financial strategy. 

Financial advisors assist their customers in developing measurable financial objectives based on their priorities, and parents may help their children define and quantify their own financial goals.

Whether it's a brand-new toy or a vacation to Legoland, your children may have some ideas about what they want to save for.

4 - Building the Foundation for Compounding

To generate money, investors must use the power of compounding, but explaining this to small kids can be challenging.

Ask your child whether they believe a penny is a large sum of money. Suppose the penny increased in value by a factor of two every single day for a month. They may be startled to learn that if a penny is doubled every day for 30 days, it may grow to more than $10 million.

A real-world bank account might be a valuable supplement to this lesson.

5 - Talking about Companies They Know

For decades, investing circles have been chanting the "buy what you know" mantra. One of the most important aspects of educating children to invest is to have them put their money into firms they are familiar with.

A stock's value can be better understood if your little investors know what the company does and if they have used the product.

6 - Delving into Virtual Stock Markets

Investing has uncertainties, and those risks must not be ignored. Stocks aren't merely going to rise.

Virtual stock markets might be a fun option to offer your child a more hands-on experience with investments. Your kids may learn valuable lessons from these simulations about what constitutes a successful investment.

Conclusion

The stakes are high when teaching children how to invest their money. Adults who never learned how to manage money and make the right choices may struggle financially later in life. The earlier you start teaching your child how to invest their money, the better.

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John D Saunders

John D. Saunders is a Web Designer and Founder at 5Four Digital, CMO at Kiddie Kredit and an Automation Expert with a decade of experience building brands online. He's worked with clients including Audi, NAACP and Apps Without Code.