Product Description

Tired of your kids always asking for money? Aggravated when they just buy whatever's popular without any regard for price? Frustrated they never save or share any of the money they get? Wish you could help your kids become more responsible with their money?

You can. All it takes is a little Allowance Magic. This step-by-step program gives you the tools you need to teach your kids about money and money management as you help them develop the habits of saving and sharing. At the same time, those frequent requests for money, and the occasional arguments they can lead to, are gone forever.

With Allowance Magic, you develop a structure within which your kids make most of their own day-to-day financial decisions. That way, they learn to plan their expenditures and shop for value. They also get in the habit of saving and sharing a portion of everything they get.

Allowance Magic includes two distinct sections. The first is for parents. It presents an overview of the challenges you face in helping your children become financially responsible along with the specific actions you can take to overcome those obstacles. It also leads you through the process of setting limits and establishing rules. Once you complete this section, you will have put together an allowance program that's just right for you and your kids.

The second section - The Kid's Money Wizard Journal - is for your kids. Once they complete it, you review and discuss their information with them. In the process, both you and your children work together to establish age-appropriate responsibilities and expectations. The completed Journal serves as a written record of the agreements you've reached and becomes your child's working financial plan.

So, what are you waiting for? Start making your own Allowance Magic today and watch your kids become Money Wizards! Why wait? Order Allowance Magic now!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #241052 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07
• Binding: Paperback
• 24 pages

From the Back Cover
Parenting / Personal Finance

$3? $5? $10? How much Allowance is right for your child? Do you give them what their friends get? However much they ask for? Or, do you simply pick a number, any number? Fortunately, there is a better way. And you will find it spelled out in a simple and easy to follow manner in Kids' Allowances - How Much, How Often & How Come, A Guide For Parents. In this book: * Hundreds of parents share how they come up with the Allowance amount. * Thousands of parents tell how much Allowance they give. * The nation's leading experts make their recommendations. * David McCurrach brings together the best ideas from parents, experts and his own experience as he lays out the easiest and most effective Allowance program ever. After that, The Allowance Workbook For Kids and Their Parents helps you implement the program presented in Kids' Allowances. With the Workbook, you customize your Allowance program to reflect your child's needs and your own personal values. With twenty-five years in the financial services industry, five kids, three grandkids, input from thousands of other parents, hundreds of hours of in-depth research and untold numbers of discussions and correspondence with parents and other authorities in the field, David McCurrach has developed a unique perspective on helping kids learn about money management and develop financial responsibility through an effective Allowance program. All these thoughts and experiences are capsulated in this book. Read the book, work the Workbook, visit Kids' Money on the Internet at kidsmoney.org, shop Kids' Money Store at kidsmoneystore.com. Join the tens of thousands of other parents and kids that have already benefited from this valuable experience.

About the Author
David McCurrach began Kids' Money (kidsmoney.org) in 1995 as an early Internet-based financial education resource for parents, teachers and kids. Today, this widely-acclaimed site provides an unparalleled amount of information on teaching kids about money, money management and financial responsibility.

Appropriately, the first four years have focused on Allowances - the basic building block of a financial education. Tens of thousands of parents have contributed their thoughts and experiences. Leading experts have weighed in with their views. This body of knowledge forms the basis for the information provided in Kids' Allowances - How Much, How Often & How Come, A Guide for Parents as well as in The Allowance Workbook for Kids and Their Parents.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction

Kids' Allowances helps you focus on the most important and challenging aspect of Allowances - determining the amount (How Much). After you have done that, the frequency (How Often) is fairly straightforward and the reason for an Allowance (How Come) becomes self-evident. So, how do you decide on the Allowance amount?

Do you talk with a spouse or close friend? Negotiate with your children? Give them their age in dollars? Or just pick a number, any number? As you probably know, you can use any of these methods and they will work to a degree.

But since you are reading this book, you are probably looking for a better way - something more likely to assure success. Ever wonder what other parents do? How much other kids get? What the experts have to say?

Well, wonder no more. It is all here - everything you need to know to make sure your children's Allowance is enough to teach them how to manage money responsibly, but not any more than needed to accomplish that goal. By putting this information to use, you can be assured you are getting the most for your Allowance dollars.

We start with other parents. Hundreds of them share with us how they come up with the Allowance amount. You can review a sampling of their approaches in the Parents' Tips chapter.

Next, check out how much Allowance thousands of parents give their children in the Amounts chapter. You can even find specific numbers for your age child.

After that, see what the experts have to say. The views of leading authors are presented in the Experts' Tips chapter.

And finally, everything is brought together in the Dave's Way chapter. When you are finished, you will have all the tools and information you need to determine the best Allowance amount as well as how often to give it. You will also have a system to adjust the amount and frequency, as your kids get older.

As you go through this book, highlight areas that strike a responsive cord. Make notes in the margin. Dog-ear the pages. Make this book work for you.

To make it even easier, we have collected all the hyperlinks mentioned in the text and put them on the Internet. Simply go to kidsmoney.org/kalinks.htm for a quick and easy connection to all the linked material.

When you are done with this book, go directly to The Allowance Workbook and complete it. After you are done with that, you will have an Allowance program customized to your child's needs and incorporating your own personal values.

Good luck and good reading! We appreciate you choosing this book and hope it gives you the information you are after. Please let us know how you do. E-mail me at dmccurrach@kidsmoneypress.com or write me c/o Kids' Money Press, P.O. Box 681861, Franklin, TN 37068-1861.

Thank you,

David McCurrach January 1, 2000

Customer Reviews

Excellent Resource of Information
This book is packed full of information about Allowances from parents to experts. Dave's way offers a simple, easy to follow method for deciding the ever important question 'How much do I give'.

I would consider this book to be an excellent source for information. One that I will continue to review as my child gets older.

Who's Teaching Kids About Money?
I have reviewed the book for my online class, "Money Skills for Kids". I must say I am impressed with the simple (yet very detailed) plan the author proposes. Additionally, I find that not only the children will benefit from the teaching tools he presents, but their parents will also undergo a valuable education in money management.

One of the sections that stood out was the one on the "Sharing Money Challenge." I like the way the author helps children to integrate giving into their weekly routine, and the way he emphasizes that giving is just as much a part of spending an allowance as buying candy.

Please note that I have included the book into my course's required reading list.

Better for older kids.
Was hoping to have much better tips for younger kids--as in the 5-year-old set. There was a Wall St. Journal article featuring the author, and his tips in that article were more succinct and what I was looking for regarding starting an allowance than this book was. But this is awesome for the tween and teen set with complete budgeting, spending and charitable donations worksheets. Would like more info. on the charity for the kids--like how to research, and invest in causes you believe in.