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Economy sparks opportunity to teach kids lasting money lessons
Thrivent Financial offers tips, new national event to teach sharing, saving and spending
| MINNEAPOLIS (April 7, 2009) – “Mommy, why can’t I get it…?” Depending on the age of a child, that “it” could be a Barbie doll, bike, designer jeans, iPod, Xbox or any of the thousands of other gotta-have-it goods and gadgets. While many parents may be inclined to reply “Because I said so,” or “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” parents could instead use this type of money question as a teaching opportunity.
With the economy what it is today, there is no better time for parents to teach their kids lifelong lessons about responsibly sharing, saving and spending. These lessons can go far in shaping our kids’ attitudes and habits about money and its use. To help parents with this task, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has created Teach Your Kids to Share Day. Held in conjunction with Financial Literacy Month, the event will take place April 24 at more than 50 children’s museums and other kid-friendly venues across the nation. Teach Your Kids to Share Day features easy-to-understand and unique financial education activities designed to give families with children ages 6 - 10 the opportunity to learn about saving and spending, but also the responsibility of sharing and giving back to others in a fun and interactive environment. To view a list of Teach Your Kids to Share Day event sites visit: https://www.thrivent.com/shareday/events.html In advance of Teach Your Kids to Share Day, Thrivent Financial offers: Six Tips for Teaching Kids to Share, Save and Spend 1. Discuss and demonstrate with your child how you share, save and spend money. For example: explain how you share money by supporting your place of worship or a charitable cause; how you save money by depositing it in the bank; and how you spend money on groceries and the home. 2. Work together on establishing a guideline on how they’ll manage their money. For example: if you set “share 10 percent, save 10 percent and spend 80 percent” as a guideline, the next time your child gets $20 as a birthday gift, the child should divide the money to meet the guideline. 3. When older children want to buy something immediately, ask them to ‘Stop, think and choose.’ Stop to consider whether they really want or need the item, think how the money spent could be used more resourcefully and choose whether the item is really more important than other wants and needs. 4. Make it visual. For example: label three clear jars to serve as share, save and spend piggy banks allowing the child to see their contributions add up. Each child at Teach Your Kids to Share Day will receive a 3-slot blue piggy bank to encourage sharing, saving and spending. 5. Make it fun. For example: initiate activities such as making ice cream sundaes at home rather than spending money on them at a fast food restaurant. Set up a lemonade stand and agree to donate the proceeds to a local charity. 6. Most importantly, make sharing, saving and spending an ongoing conversation. Talking with your child is one of the best ways to build a financial foundation for the whole family. To register for Teach Your Kids to Share Day: Individuals can sign-up for participation or receive additional information on the event by visiting www.thrivent.com/shareday or calling 800-236-3736. A $10 per family registration fee includes a dinner, activities and educational materials. Editor’s note: Photos of a preview event in St. Paul, Minn., in Jan. are available at www.thrivent.com/shareday. About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping approximately 2.6 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services including life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, disability income insurance, bank products and more. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial sponsors national outreach programs and activities that support congregations, schools, charitable organizations and individuals in need. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives for securities offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415-1665, 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836), a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Member FINRA and SIPC. They are also licensed insurance agents of Thrivent Financial. -END- 200901355 |
| Contact Information: | |||||
| Brett Weinberg Director, Public Relations brett.weinberg@thrivent.com Phone: (612) 844-4272 | Dave Rustad, APR Senior Media Relations Specialist dave.rustad@thrivent.com Phone: (612) 844-7037 | Stacy Eckes-Borys Senior Media Relations Specialist stacy.eckes-borys@thrivent.com Phone: (920) 628-2445 | |||
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