Teenagers have no care in the world, or at least not much when it comes to money.
All they care, or at least many teens, is that they have the money to buy what they want.
Sure, they probably worry about school, peer pressure, what they wear, and who likes them, but I'm sure most don't worry about how their going to pay their rent, what money they'll use for groceries, or how their going to retire.
Actually, it's a good thing that they don't worry; we should never have to worry.
The problem is they don't know that their lack of money knowledge may very well hurt them in the future.
Did your parents teach you about money when you were growing up? Ideally, every parent teaches their kid how to save and spend wisely, shows them the value of money, and makes sure they have a grasp on money management before they are thrown into the real world.
Unfortunately most parents don't.
It's very likely that they were never taught about money when they grew up either.
Do you know anyone that is in debt? Do you know how they grew up and what family they were born into? You might think that people born into a rich family grew up to be wealthy.
Most of these people probably look wealthy because they continue spending money when they grow up the same as they spent their parents money, only they might not have the same large income that their parents had.
This puts them deep into debt.
Anyone that is in debt deserves pity more than sympathy.
Nobody told them to waste their money and buy what they can't afford, but nobody told them not to either.
Do you know someone that has control of their money? Maybe they don't have a giant house or luxury car, but they never talk about their credit card debt or finance problems.
These are usually one of two different people.
First, they grew up in a modest home, either with little money or working class.
Their parents didn't buy them whatever they wanted but instead taught them that everything has a price.
They took this knowledge into their adulthood and build a stable financially sound life for themselves.
The other person with debt was in heavy debt at some point, but instead of letting it pull them down, they worked their way out of it.
They saw the distress that they had fallen to and worked their way out by cutting back spending, saving more, and paying down their debt.
They too know how to manage their money, but had a lot of trouble and experience to get there.
It is during the teen years that these good and bad things are started.
Teens generally overspend unless they are taught otherwise.
They don't usually have to worry about money, so they don't care what they spend.
Don't let your teen fall into the money trap.
Teach them now how to live a financially stable life to keep them secure in the future.