8 Things my Kids taught me about Money

As you know whatever new or different I perceive I feel like sharing with you all that too about money.

Being a financial planner it’s not only my profession but also my passion to tell my dear readers about all that we can do and think about money.

It may sound a cliché but it’s a bitter truth that for most “money is everything”. It is indispensable and irreplaceable. This thought became even more fervent when I heard my kids and their friends interacting.

Read – 10 Lessons to Teach Your Kids about Money (INFOGRAPHICS)

Last Sunday while I was watching TV – my kids were playing a game with their friends called MONOPOLY, which is all about:

1. Managing money or liquidity if I simplify,
2. Investing at the right time and in the right direction,
3. Credits and debits
4. The rich is the one who has maximum land according to the rule of the game, I differ though
5. Budgeting, strategizing and allocating capital wisely and with all possible precision.
6. Buying and selling of property and asset management.
7. Nurture relationships
8. Take calculated risks and be courageous.
9. Have a backup plan.

There is much more than I could see, so would take this as an opportunity to help you to understand what we can do to make our lives better and add value and quality to it.

So let’s take a close look at a few interesting traits and qualities that we can learn from kids.

1. Start with enthusiasm and positivity

You all must have observed that kids are always over the top before they start any game. So if we apply this to our life we too need to first be happy with what we have and then enthusiastically initiate whatever we want to do. It could be an investment, a startup, a new venture, even mutual fund SIP to name a few.

So if the start is with optimism the end result ought to be fruitful.

2. Proper distribution of money

I have used the word distribution so as it understands how we complicate things in name of investment. So when the kids started the game they used the word DISTRIBUTION. I too thought that how easy it is to divide and distribute the money by buying property, erecting buildings, collecting rent, etc.

Check – Asset Allocation – the formula for investment success

3. Dealing with crisis

The choices we make always have an impact on our lives as we all learn from childhood “to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

So is the case with money management as well. As the game progressed I saw that kids had to balance cash by earning income and saving. That’s what we too should try to do. We should not put all our eggs in one basket rather make sure that we have some cash in hand for the rainy day. We should be well prepared financially to take any blow on our health, market slump, recession, etc.

4. Money gives you the name rich

One very important thing that I observed was that the winner was the one who had the HIGHEST NET WORTH, the kids read as the one who had maximum cash and property.

He was supposed to be the richest as we see around also the net worth of Ambani’s and the Tata’s and film actors and the list goes on.

Some are declared the world’s richest by FORBES but the parameter is the same which is MONEY, PROPERTY, AND EQUITY…..

But in personal life, we should not enter into that competition of comparison but we should know what we have.

Check – How to calculate your networth & why it’s so important

5. Credits

Today we are all in a hurry for everything. We are getting trained to be quick, restless, and get things fast. This haste seems to have become an industry called credit cards.

This game appears to promote the rampant use of credit cards where youngsters seem to have fallen prey to this temptation. It gives them instant gratification but leaves them amidst bad debts, loans, cashless, and eventually crashed.

So guys beware of this addiction. 7 Costly credit card mistakes almost everyone makes

Don’t strive to obtain silver gold and platinum cards rather invest in real gold, silver, and platinum – even if these are mediocre investments still better than cards.

6. Slow and steady win the race

This simply means to take a step behind before you take a leap. Reading the current scenario is extremely important so if you sense a spirit of unrest, rising prices, or deficit in your earnings take a back seat.

• Cut down on your monthly expenses, create positive cash flow, stop eating out.
• Remove unnecessary expenditures like buying gifts, clubbing, long drives, etc.
• Resist impulsive shopping. Don’t get tempted by sales and discounts.

Just sit back, slow down, and feel relaxed.

Read – Financial Lessons for Kids – What and When

7. Nurturing relationships

There was one more thing that proved to be a game-changer.

As the kid with a kind of capitalist mindset was to win, other kid lent some cash to his friend to invest and the winner changed.

This gave my thinking a different dimension and I realized how being surrounded with people and relations who can give you support and level up can help you to be the winner in the race.

So, my dear friends, we need to invest in relations as much as we invest in money and support each other.

NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS is part of our growth.

This mind map will tell what does wealth means to me

Wealth Means a mix or balance of 4 things (print out of this is placed on my side table)

So, my dear friends, let’s learn to live a

Fulfilling and happy life.

Check – What does wealth mean to you?

8. Never cheat

Being honest and transparent gives us healthy relations, trust, and goodwill. As I saw that the most honest child was given the responsibility of taking a decision on behalf of others, the currency was given to him for saving and keeping and he was trusted the most with his words having the maximum value.

Money can make us rich but our experiences, mistakes, relationships, and family make us wealthy.

So let us all be wealthy like these kids who fight, take decisions, responsibility, get out of our comfort zone and play just to play and learn and grow.

I think there should be a book on what kids can teach us about money – rather than what we can teach them.

Please feel free to share your experiences in the comment section. What you have learned from your kids – money or otherwise.