Paying For College For Dummies

Chapter 3

Exposing Your Kids to Work, Finances, and the “Real World”

IN THIS CHAPTER

Teaching your kids important money lessons

Managing your kids’ exposure to money-related matters

Making the work-money connection

Imparting other real-world money knowledge to your kids

When you raise kids today, you may rightfully want to keep them in a protective cocoon or bubble, insulated from the harsh realities and downsides of the adult world. A good parent naturally wants to protect their kids, especially until they accumulate sufficient knowledge, life experiences, and judgment.

Part of the adult world, of course, is working and making and managing your money. The education that kids receive growing up, both in and outside the classroom, contributes to preparing them to someday enter the working world. And, for many (but by no means all) teenagers, that post–high-school education includes going to college. In the subsequent parts of this book, I explore those alternatives and how to pay for them.

There are many money lessons and concepts to master in order to make good financial decisions ...