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Get smart with your money

teens

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Using credit card points at checkout has become too easy. Also in the news: Why summer jobs are good for the teenage wallet, how to maximize your music festival savings, and how long it’ll really take you to save for a down payment.

Using Credit Card Points at Checkout Has Become Too Easy
Points may be worth less when redeemed this way. And be careful — you might even cash in points accidentally.

A Summer Job: Good for the Teenage Soul and Wallet
It’s been a rough couple of years, especially for teenagers.

Maximize your music festival savings
Summer music festivals can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but costs can easily blow a hole in any budget.

How Long It’ll Really Take You to Save for a Down Payment
It’s probably going to take a while in this market, but let’s crunch some numbers.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Dear Young Girls – let’s talk about money. Also in the news: Why your teen should work this summer, a day in the life of a financial advisor, and why you should make student loan payments during your grace period.

Dear Young Girls: Let’s Talk About Money
Historical numbers.

Why Your Teen Should Work This Summer
Preparing for the job market.

A Day in the Life: Financial Advisor
Putting our money to work.

Why You Should Make Student Loan Payments During Your Grace Period
Tackling interest.

Why your teen should work this summer

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Summer jobs for teens are an endangered species worth saving.

These seasonal jobs offer more than a paycheck. Summer employment can:

• Improve academic performance, especially among lower-income teens.

• Teach important employment skills, including teamwork and problem-solving.

• Give teens real-world experience demonstrating a work ethic and satisfying bosses who expect them to earn every dollar.

“We don’t naturally know how to be good employees,” says Kathy Kristof, editor of SideHusl, a review site for part-time employment. “We learn, just like we learn the alphabet, with practice.”

In my latest for the Associated Press, how working this summer can prepare your teen for the job market.

The right way to give your teen an allowance

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Here’s an idea: Hand your teenagers hundreds of dollars in one lump sum and leave it up to them to manage the money for the next, say, six to 12 months.

Anyone who’s ever had or been a teenager may quail at the thought, but experts say this approach actually can work much better than a weekly allowance in teaching older kids about personal finance.

In my latest for the Associated Press, how this unconventional method can work better than a weekly allowance.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Security tips from a former identity thief. Also in the news: What to teach teen about debt, tax mistakes you don’t know you’re making, and tips on retiring early. Ways-of-Identity-Theft

4 Security Tips From a Former Fraudster
Advice on how to protect yourself from guys like him.

4 Things Your Teen Needs to Know About Debt
Teaching your teens to avoid the debt trap.

7 Easy Steps to Pay Off Debt
Budgeting is essential.

7 Tax Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Don’t forget about tax credits!

5 tips to help you retire early
Treating dollars like employees.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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Credit card backgroundSurviving unemployment, the pros and cons of taking a personal loan to pay off credit card debt, and where your state ranks on the list of America’s most debt-free.

How to survive a job loss
Tips on how to get through one of life’s most difficult times.

Use Personal Loan to Cut Credit Card Debt?
Is trading one debt for another a smart idea?

4 signs of financial immaturity in teens
Could your teen already be on the road to financial ruin?

6 Financial Mistakes We Don’t Make Anymore (and 2 We Still Do)
What financial mistakes are we still making in the “new normal”?

The Most Debt-Free States in America
This list may surprise you.