Three ways to give your children a financial head-start

Many parents find it very difficult to talk to their children about money. Either the topic is seen as too sensitive or they just feel that they don’t know enough to give good advice.

However, the worst lesson that any parent could ever give a child about money is not talking about it. Children learn the most from the example that they are set, and that is why it is so important to show that money is not something to be scared of or anxious about it. It is something that should be made to work for you.

This is why it is best to expose children to the idea of saving sooner rather than later. From a young age they should see that they can have control over their money.

Here are three easy ways to get them thinking the right way about saving:

Give presents that mean something

Of course children love toys and having something to play with, but not every present they receive has to give them instant gratification. Putting money in a unit trust or stock broking account might not sound like the most exciting gift in the world, but it can be very rewarding.

For a start, it gives them some sense of having their own savings and some money of their own to look after. Over time, it’s also the best way to teach them about different savings products, asset classes, and things like interest and dividends, as they can see for themselves how they work.

A low-cost online stock broking account could even allow them to make their own decisions about what stocks to invest in. At an early age their decisions are not likely to be influenced by rigorous analysis, but they can still invest in companies that they know something about.

For instance, if they like eating at Spur, why not show them that they can actually buy a part of that company? Or if you always do your shopping at Pick n Pay, let them buy the stock. Over time, the likelihood is that their interest will grow in how these businesses work, how they generate earnings, and what being a shareholder means. This will eventually lead them to making more informed decisions about their investments.

Involve them in their own savings

If you are saving for your child’s education, are they aware of it? Do they know that you are putting away money every month, where it is going, and what it is for?

Explaining to your children that you are saving for their future allows for you to have a discussion around why it’s important to do this and how it works. Not only will this give them some sense that they can’t just take things for granted, but it also gets them thinking about the importance of financial planning.

Think of their future before they do

The earlier your children start saving for retirement, the less they will need to save. One of the biggest impacts you can make on their future financial well-being is therefore to start for them.

Plan to present your child with a lump sum on their 18^th or 21^st birthdays, either in their own tax-free account or placed in a retirement funding vehicle. You may not think you are contributing much, but just R10 000 will grow to nearly R1 million over 45 years at a compound growth rate of 10% per year. That is a worthwhile boost to their future retirement, and will also get them thinking about their financial future as soon as they enter the working world.

If you do this in a retirement annuity (RA), they will not be able to access the money until they are at least 55, which will ensure that it is kept for what it is meant for. However, if you believe that they will be disciplined it makes more sense to use a tax-free savings account. This is because over such a long period the benefits of a tax-free savings account will likely be greater, and you can also invest fully in growth assets like equities, while an RA will have to meet the restrictions of Regulation 28.

As with all savings, the earlier you start planning for this, the better. If you put away just R100 every month from the day your child is born, you would have saved R21 600 by the time they reach 18. If this portfolio grows at 10% per year, you could present them with over R60 000.

It is possible to do this through a tax-free savings account from the start, as you can open an account in your child’s name. It doesn’t, however, make as much sense to open an RA for them while they are still children, as nobody will gain any benefit from the tax deductible contributions. If you want to give them money in an RA, invest in a unit trust until the point where you want to give them the lump sum, and then transfer it into an RA once they are income-earning adults and will benefit from the tax deduction.

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