You know "they don't teach this stuff in school," but you're at a loss for how to find age-appropriate activities, strategies or systems that would help your kids understand the value of a dollar?
You could be a parent with great financial fluency – but you’re beginning to realize you don't know how you learned about money and don't know how to teach your kids what you know.
Or you could be parents who struggle with money and don't want your kids to experience the same – but, since you struggle yourself, you feel unfit to teach and don't know where to begin.
Or you could be parents with high school kids, wondering when they'll stop asking for money – but you feel like you've missed the boat and you don't have a clear plan of when they'll be able to manage their own money.
While it's true that figuring out personal finance is something all of us have to go through, your kids don't have to experience:
✔ Confusion around day-to-day finance
✔ Unnecessary consumer debt
✔ Entitlement
✔ Scarcity or fear of their financial future
✔ A lack of understanding of the true costs of consumer items
✔ A sense of financial dependency
All of the above and more are what our post-industrial consumer-focused society has taught us is a "normal" approach to personal finance. That no matter what your family's financial picture, the kids should be left out of the conversation.
We think there's a better way…
No matter what your personal family financial picture is, we can all agree that raising unspoiled kids who have a clear understanding of personal finance is a priority.
And as long as "they don't teach this stuff in school," parents are tasked with laying the groundwork.
You might be giving allowance. You might be assigning chores.
But if your approach isn't grounded in your family values, all this is just "performance finance."
You need a clear and defined approach to teach your kids:
✔ The true value of a dollar.
✔ The basics of income, expenses, debt and philanthropy.
✔ A framework to begin learning to budget.
The Allowance System Workshop is for any parent who knows they should be teaching their kids about money but have no idea where to begin.
Single parents or partnered parents are welcome!
We recommend that household with two parents have BOTH parents complete the pre-work and join the workshop if possible.
In The Allowance System Workshop, we'll cover all this (and a whole lot more), in a fun, interactive, easy-to-implement way, so you'll leave with everything you need to get started right away. Plus you'll have a roadmap of where to go next, regardless of your family's financial situation or your kid's ages.
Hi there! my name is Emily. I live in Oakland, CA with my 3 school-aged kids, my fire fighter husband, Aaron, and our pets, Bill the dog and Panda the cat.
I created The Allowance System after reading Ron Lieber's: The Opposite of Spoiled. I wasn't always good with money--in fact, I'm far from an expert. I made a lot of mistakes along the way (like many of us). My husband and I, despite having solid income, felt stressed and cash-strapped, and when we tried to talk about money, it rarely ended well. But it wasn't until my kids got a little older that I stopped and realized that nobody was helping my kids avoid the same mistakes I had made.
I like systems. And spreadsheets. A LOT. With a background in education (a LONG time ago I was a classroom teacher) I realized that kids do really well with a set plan and clear expectations.
Oh-and did I mention that, since 2008, my job is to ask people I've never met to give away their money (I'm a Fundraising MC/Benefit Auctioneer and Fundraising Event Consultant)? And here I was thinking I was no good at talking about money.
The Allowance System was the answer I couldn't find after endless research. So I created a clear and defined path to guide my kids through money conversations and prepare them for the inevitable day when they will manage their own money.
Out of all this I learned that, given the right tools and a basis of heart-centered values, kids actually do better with money than we think.
We all have Four Core Resources: Time. Money. Energy. Expertise. Teaching our kids to not only become aware of their own resources, but how to harness and channel those resources become some of the keystone habits-creating lasting change, not only in one aspect of their life, but throughout many.
A fun and easy activity to do with your kids, to help you get a sense of their current understanding of money and personal finance (we PROMISE--this is easy and fun!)
Optional pre-workshop reading
Pre-workshop survey (5 minutes, completed by any adult who will attend the workshop)
An overview of what we will cover when we meet
A link to the virtual workshop and suggestions to maximize your experience
Review and share the pre-workshop activity
Receive all the planning tools needed to set up your Family Allowance System
Learn how our money-story affects everything we do, think and say about money
Understand the main components of The Allowance System
Define your "Big Why's" for embarking on this journey and get clear on your family's beliefs about money
Outline your own family Allowance System
Committ to an implementation schedule
Map out a long-term strategy that will help your child gain an understanding of money and move them toward financial independence
Discuss next steps in your process
Have a schedule and a system for your family allowance system
Understand how to grow your family allowance system as your children grow up
Know that you're on a path to helping your kids understand money
Have the option to join on-going support sessions
You may have already registered for the workshop through your school. I offer spots totally free to school communities and allow the school to sell spots as part of their online fundraiser. If this is you-no need to register. You'll receive more information as the workshop draws near. If you are interested in having The Allowance System Workshop available to your school or nonprofit, just reach out and let me know.
I'm just a parent trying to do the best I can for my kids and, if you've read this far, you probably are, too. This project is a work-in-progress for you and my goal is to help families set their kids on firm financial footing. I believe that more financially saavy young people will make the world a better place and I'm committed to helping. I welcome questions and feedback and would be incredibly grateful for testimonials if The Allowance System resonates or helps you and your family. Thanks for joining me on this journey!
Emily Quinn
(C) 2021 Emily Quinn Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this page or the content taught may be used without expressed written consent.