Email of the Day

Dr. Laura:

I think we really need young people to learn basic things about money, finances, and credit as they're growing up.  They need to know how to budget, spend less than they make, avoid borrowing (as much as possible), and how to save or invest.

Parents should be teaching these things to their children from a young age (with age-appropriate learning, of course), yet so many kids grow up without ever having an understanding of these topics.

When I was in high school, I took a very practical elective class called "Survival of Singles."  It taught us things like basic kitchen safety, how to get maintenance for your automobile without getting ripped off, how to critically evaluate advertising claims, how to use banks, checking and credit, and even how to rent an apartment or apply successfully for a job.  I'm not sure public schools teach things like this anymore, but If you weren't taught this by your parents, I encourage young adults to find night classes or online classes in which they can learn these skills.  I learned a lot of life lessons in that class that have served me well over the years!

Ken