Dear Aggie,

The more you know, the more you know that you don’t know. The more you succeed, the more humble you should be.

Best,

God

P.S. The day a successful person stops being humble is the day he prepares for his downfall. Remain humble, Aggie.

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Children are an extraordinary blessing, yet as every parent knows, raising a child takes patience, imagination, a good dose of courage, and a lot of financial planning. Yes, beyond the sweetness of raising a child is the stark reality of the financial commitment child rearing entails.

Beyond the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter, children have many years of education before them, from preschool to high school, college and beyond. The reality is that somebody has to pay for that schooling, so wise parents start planning as early as possible to make paying for their child’s educational future a reality.

What steps can parents take to plan effectively for their child’s future, and keep it bright? There are many easy steps that can be taken to ensure a happy and sound future for a child. Let’s take a look at just a few.

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Start a Savings Account

Sure, a young child likely won’t have a lot of money to spend, but it’s smart to get into the habit of saving, and a savings account is a great place to start. With a savings account, a child can put away part of their Christmas money, allowance, and cash gifts from their birthdays, and watch it add up. Having an account can give a child a feeling of control and ownership of their own money, and with it, a sense of confidence.

Write a Will

A will? That’s right, a will. As soon as children are born, parents should get serious about planning for what happens to their assets in case they die. No one really likes to think about these issues, but writing a will is a smart way to ensure that children are protected in case of accidental death or an unexpected health concern.

Have an Educational Fund

A good education costs money, and sometimes, it’s important to know there is cash on hand to pay for unexpected school costs. A personal loan from Plain Green Loans is one way to pay for the many costs that come with student life, including new clothes, books, tuition costs and housing. A quick personal loan from Plain Green Loans can quickly cover unexpected costs, and by using an installment plan, parents can pay the loan back in a reasonable amount of time, with payments that are reasonable.

Yes, children are a joy forever, but raising them require planning. By looking ahead and making a plan, parents can make sure their child’s future will be shiny and bright.

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Becoming a teenager is a very memorable and special time. It’s a golden period when responsibilities are relatively minor, and free time is plentiful. Unfortunately, this combination also leads to some common teen money hurdles. These will pass in time, particularly after you land a full-time job. But in the meantime, here are some ways to avoid common issues.

Being short on funds doesn’t stop a teen from wanting to spend money. There are members of the opposite sex to impress, clothes to buy, movies and songs of interest, and a plethora of interesting ways to burn through cash. The number one teen money hurdle is being short on cash!

Avoid I.O.U’s

That cash-short lifestyle can quickly lead to mounting I.O.U’s, whether accrued with friends or parents. It’s all too common for teens to borrow from a pal who’s flush at the moment, only to forget about payback when their allowance or payday advance online comes through. Don’t create ill-will amongst your friends by piling up your borrowings. If you need to borrow money to watch a film or take your new crush on a date, be sure to pay it back. Otherwise, not only will that friend’s purse strings close for you, your actions might put your friendship into jeopardy.

Pay Cash

One of the most common teen issues involving money is attempting to keep up with classmates and friends when it comes to showing off the latest look. Fashion is constantly changing – by the week, even – and falling behind isn’t the route to the cool crowd. But overspending to stay hip isn’t cool either, especially when the bills become unmanageable. Nip such fearsome scenarios in the bud by only buying new clothes that you’ve saved money to buy. Whether it comes from a job or elsewhere, by disciplining buying habits at a young age, you’ll be in a great position to thrive later in life.

Open Your Own Account

It’s unfortunate, but one of the more common mistakes teens make is not focusing on opening their own bank accounts. Whether that’s because they don’t think it important, or simply feel they have few funds to keep in a bank, this route is less than sophisticated. Learning from an early age to balance a checkbook – or at least learn to keep track of the dollar total in one’s checking account, is financially savvy.

Getting teens interested in controlling their financial picture from a young age is one of the best ways to ensure monetary success in life. It’s important to strive to find a balance between buying frivolous items and learning to go without things that are unnecessary. Aim to exist somewhere between miser and spendthrift statuses, and you’ll avoid the most common money issues.

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It has been quite hard for me to really blog these days. I rarely write just for the sake of writing anymore (which is a bad thing). However, it seems that doing Project Life is doing me good, since it has motivated me to start using my handwriting again, and has cut down my scrapping time to almost 80% which freed my time. Plus, the instant gratification that my family gets to read and see what I make is way better. Of course, I would not be able to include sports trophies but I can include ribbons, drawings, certificates and even receipts! I’m going to still be doing digital pages and albums, but the “pressure” to get caught up is no longer there. Because almost a month in 2012, I am caught up with everything that has been going on – document-wise.

1. Listening – Beyonce’s 4 Album. The song, I Was Here, is amazeballs. Listen to it.
2. Eating – Oatmeal with Lo-Fat Milk.
3. Drinking – Water
4. Wearing – Pink & Grey Shorts + Grey Shirt
5. Feeling – Sore & Stiff
6. Weather – Cloudy. Not too Cold nor too Hot.
7. Wanting – Instant Gratification. (as always Agatona.)
8. Needing – More Motivation – to actually work. I need to shake the moneymakers!
9. Thinking – About My Day today – work, work out, go to Mart’s tutorial, maybe scrap OR start watching Modern Family.
10. Enjoying – Dance Central 2.

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