“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
You might have heard this Chinese proverb before. Many adults use it to reflect on habits they wish they had started earlier, like saving money or investing.
And there’s a good reason for that—financial literacy is a skill many people only realize the importance of when they’re much older.
As a teenager, you have a huge advantage in terms of time! Starting now means you can build habits that will benefit you for years.
Schools may not emphasize financial education for teens too much. So it can take time and effort to learn these skills independently.
But I promise it’ll be worth it. Understanding how to manage your money now will set you up for success and independence.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the core financial principles that teens should learn and understand.
We’ll also explore some financial education resources for teens. These can help you kickstart your journey toward financial independence!
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Why it is important to be financially literate
Being financially literate means knowing how to manage money well. This involves budgeting, saving, investing, and allocating resources wisely.
Being financially literate can help you in the following areas:
- Saving more money in less time for important goals, like a college fund or house downpayment
- Setting up an emergency fund and medical fund for rainy days
- Avoiding costly mistakes that could land you in debt or eat into your savings
- Reducing stress and frustration from financial strains
Being financially literate paves the way to a more stable and secure future.
Basic financial concepts for young adults
At this point, you might not yet be familiar with key financial principles.
Perhaps you haven’t had the chance to earn your own income. Or maybe you haven’t explored money management beyond what’s taught in school.
That’s completely okay—everyone starts somewhere.
The fact that you’re here reading this shows that you’re eager to learn about managing money. And since you’re starting young, you’re already on the right track!
Let’s discuss some basic financial principles every teen should know. Learning these key concepts will help you make good decisions when handling your money.
Concept #1: Understanding money
Money is more than the coins and bills in your wallet. It’s the medium through which you can attain various items, services, and experiences.
One of the most basic principles of managing money is understanding cash flow.
Cash flow represents the difference between the money you earn and spend. One way to improve cash flow is to reduce non-essential spending and prioritize needs over wants.
Needs refer to items or services necessary to maintain your physical, mental, or financial well-being. Examples include housing, food, and education.
In contrast, wants include everything else apart from your needs. These might be the gadgets you use, entertainment, or additional pairs of shoes.
By prioritizing your needs, you can devote most of your resources to the things that truly matter.
Concept #2: Budgeting basics
A budget serves as a map for your money. It helps you understand where each dollar should go.
Without a budget, it’s easy to overspend.
Budgeting is one of the most powerful tools to add to your financial literacy kit. Research shows that even a mental budget can improve a person’s finances.
So, something as simple as drawing up a budget in your mind can be helpful.
If you want to create a more detailed and structured budget, you can do this in many different ways.
One of the simplest ways to get started is by using the 50/20/20/10 method. 50% of what you earn or of your allowance goes to needs, 20% to wants, 20% to savings, and 10% can be given away to various causes.
Of course, you can tweak this ratio to suit your lifestyle and goals. For instance, you can allocate more to savings to build up an emergency fund or save for something special, like a trip or birthday gift.
Write down your budget for different categories of spending. That way, you’ll know exactly how much you can spend on different items and services.
When you have a budget, tracking how much you spend is also important.
You can use a phone app or physical notebook to record all your expenses and what they were for. As you do this, you can check to see if you’re within your budget at anytime.
Concept #3: Saving and goal-setting
This is one of the most powerful habits you can build to secure your future.
Nurturing the habit of saving boils down to the concept of “paying yourself first.”
Prioritize setting aside a portion of your income or allowance to save before spending on non-necessities.
Another way to improve your saving habits is by setting clear saving goals for yourself. There are three main types of saving goals you can have.
The three goals and examples of them are as follows:
- Short-term goals: Concert ticket, a birthday gift for a family member, or a new pair of sneakers
- Medium-term goals: Summer camp, a new gadget, or a vacation
- Long-term goals: College or university fees, or a new car
Many banks offer bank accounts for teens that a parent or guardian can help to open. If you don’t already have a bank account, try to get one opened so you can start saving as soon as possible.
Concept #4: Understanding credit and debt
Credit means borrowing money you will pay back later, which often comes with interest. This can be done by using credit cards and taking loans.
Another important thing to understand is the difference between credit and debit cards.
Credit cards allow you to borrow money up to a specific limit, which you will repay. On the other hand, debit cards let you spend money that’s already in your bank account.
If you opt for credit card payments, note that they require disciplined repayment, or you might end up with hefty interest charges.
You’ve probably heard of the term “debt.” It’s often thought of as a bad thing. But there is a difference between bad and good debt.
Good debt allows you to invest in something that will improve your future and finances, like a student loan.
Bad debt is borrowing money to buy items or services that lose value quickly and aren’t necessary. An example is buying a fancy or luxurious car that you might struggle to pay off.
Knowing the difference can help you avoid financial pitfalls.
Concept #5: Investing wisely
You might have heard advice like, “Make your money work for you.”
One way to do this is through investing, which is a powerful tool for growing your finances over time.
This results from compound interest, which is the interest you earn from interest. Compound interest can snowball, leading to large growth over time.
Some ways to invest include:
- Stocks: Stocks are shares of a company. These have the potential for greater returns but also come with greater risks.
- Bonds: These are loans that you give to the government or corporations. They might give you lower returns but are generally less risky.
- Mutual funds: These allow you to pool your money with that of many other investors. This money is used to purchase stocks, bonds, or other investments, offering some diversification.
Different investment mediums have different pros and cons.
You will have to do your own research or consult a guardian or parent to learn more about these different types of investments.
Concept #6: Smart spending habits
Being mindful of how you spend your money can help you save more for what truly matters.
Some smart spending habits include the following:
- Spend within your means: Setting budgets based on your income or allowance helps you understand what you can and cannot afford.
- Avoid impulsive purchases: Avoid shopping online when you’re feeling emotional. Leave items in your online shopping cart for a day or two before checking out. It also helps to revamp your social media. Removing accounts that encourage unnecessary expenses and buying a lot will help reduce the urge to make impulsive buys.
- Reduce non-essential expenses: Take some time to reflect on how you spend your money. Write a list of your most common expenses. Then, review each non-essential expense to see if you can cut back on anything. An example might be a streaming service you don’t use much.
Of course, you can still treat yourself occasionally. It’s all about balance and learning to prioritize your needs over your wants.
Concept #7: Understanding taxes
Taxes might seem complex, but everyone has to learn how they work sooner or later.
Taxes are mandatory payments collected by the government. Taxes help fund essential public services. These include roads, public transportation, police services, and education.
Teens aren’t exempt from paying taxes. If your income from a job hits a certain threshold, you will be legally required to pay taxes.
In the United States, both earned and unearned income may incur taxes. Earned income is the money you make from working. Unearned income is the money you make from any investments, including interest and dividends.
Understanding how taxes work will allow you to handle your income and taxes with more confidence in the future.
Concept #8: The importance of financial safety
Scams and frauds are becoming more rampant. In one year alone, roughly 880,000 people in the US reported being victims of scams.
Scams can happen to anyone. And without proper safety measures, all your hard-earned cash can disappear overnight.
Here are steps you can take to safeguard your finances:
- Only shop from websites that are secure, such as those with “https” in the URL
- Look out for dangerous website addresses that can closely resemble legitimate ones
- Avoid saving your card details on shared or publicly-used devices, such as computers in the library
- Keep all your banking passwords private
- If you receive calls asking for your banking passwords, end the call
- Be careful with links you receive from social media messages or email
- Use strong passwords on your accounts to reduce the risk of being hacked
- Enable two-factor authentication for greater security
The most common scams affecting teens involve the Internet.
So, most of the above preventative steps help to keep you safe while you’re online. These habits might seem small, but they are crucial to practice so you can avoid costly mistakes down the road.
Concept #9: Planning for the future
The future may feel very far off. But planning early can save you a lot of money, trouble, and headaches in the long run.
There are several steps you can take to start planning for your future. These include:
- Set long-term goals. You can start setting clear goals early on, for instance, saving money to buy a new car or pay for your college fees.
- Learn about different investment options. Before investing in anything, you will have to do some research. This is especially so if the investment involves more risks.
- Prepare for emergencies. An emergency fund helps to ensure you’re well-prepared for unexpected expenses in the future. Examples include medical bills or car repairs.
- Educate yourself about different career options. It’s never too early to start exploring different career paths. You can also learn more about the subjects or courses you need to take to achieve your career goals.
- Invest time, money, and energy into upskilling. New skills or certifications can make you more competitive in the job market. You can also look into free resources or courses.
- Learn about retirement options. If you live in the US, examples include a 401(k) or an IRA. These allow you to save money while benefiting from tax advantages. The compound interest from these funds will also help you grow your wealth over time.
These steps ensure you’re prepared not only for your immediate goals but also for a lifetime of financial security.
Financial education resources
Learning to make wise financial decisions is a lifelong journey. By taking the initiative now, you can use the time you have to build strong habits and set yourself up for long-term success.
To do this, it’s crucial to keep expanding your knowledge. Thankfully, there are many resources available to help you learn key financial skills and concepts. These include books, blogs, courses, and videos.
Books about financial literacy for teens
Books can be excellent resources on money management. Many of them provide in-depth insights that you might not be able to learn through a quick video or blog post.
Some excellent reads for teens to further their financial education include:
- Money Skills for Teens: This book is a beginner’s guide to everything money-related. You’ll learn about investing, credit scores, saving, and other key principles. This knowledge will help you build a healthy relationship with money.
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens: This is a spin-off from the bestseller Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It will teach you the best ways to achieve financial success, such as making your money work for you.
- The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: This book explores the different ways to invest your money. Examples include equities, bonds, mutual funds, and index funds.
- Set for Life: An All-Out Approach to Early Financial Freedom: This book discusses how to build greater wealth in a shorter amount of time.
Websites and courses
Online resources offer a great deal of knowledge at your fingertips. Some online resources you can check out are as follows:
- Youth Financial Education: This website offers resources for parents and teachers to teach financial literacy to K-12 students. But you can still learn from and review these resources on your own.
- Money Smart for Young People: You can learn about different income sources and how to differentiate needs from wants. You can also read more about setting financial goals and saving money.
- A Teen’s Guide to Money and Finance: This short but informative guide goes through the basic principles of managing your money.
YouTube channels
If you enjoy watching YouTube videos, you can also use this platform to learn more about money management.
Some channels that cover this topic in a way that’s easy to understand include:
Conclusion
Learning to manage your money is an essential life skill for teens.
It’s never too early to start. The sooner you do, the more prepared you’ll be to budget, save, invest, and plan for a bright future.
Having said that, this isn’t something you’ll master overnight—it’s a lifelong journey.
Even adults sometimes struggle to make good financial decisions. So, be patient with yourself as you learn and grow, knowing that every step brings you closer to financial success.
If you want to develop crucial life skills and become motivated, focused, and responsible, check out this one-on-one coaching program I offer.
I’ve spent many thousands of hours coaching teens, and I’d love to help you develop the skills you need to succeed in the long term!
(Don’t forget to download your free quick action guide below.)
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