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Posted
Nov 30 2007, 02:14 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Kay Bell at Don't Mess with Taxes -- in a post called "Are credit cards appropriate 'toys' for kids?" -- examines two trends that should give us cause to worry. She notes that a recent Charles Schwab survey found that almost a third of teens, if they had the option, prefer to pay with a credit card rather than cash. (Thank goodness only 10 percent have a credit card in their own name.) She also points to a disturbing trend in toys: For instance, the new Monopoly allows players to pay with plastic. And did you know that Dora the Explorer and Barbie carry credit cards? ("Not surprisingly; look at the clothes (Barbie) buys!" Bell comments.)
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Posted
Jan 10 2008, 06:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
On Jan. 1 of last year, Single Ma of Single Ma's Fabulous Financials wrote a note to her future self: On Dec. 31, 2007, she would update her progress in six major areas of her life. (So, she's a little late. No biggie.) Here goes: Her extended family members are still crazy, and BabyGirl, who's a teenager, just about drove her to drink. Healthwise, Singla Ma says, "I'm not fat, my clothes shrunk! That's my story and I'm sticking to it." Her career and her finances are doing, well, fabulously. She joined the "six-figure club," exceeded her net worth goals and paid off her debt.
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Posted
Jan 11 2008, 02:23 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
An Iowa mother billed herself as the "meanest mom on the planet," but some bloggers disagree. "Kudos to Jane Hambleton, who sold her 19-year-old son's car after she found alcohol under the front seat," writes Chief Family Officer. Adrienne at Baby Toolkit said her husband and fellow blogger, Jim, was almost killed in a crash with a drunken driver. "I'm really proud of Jane Hambleton for going public with this important lesson for parents and young drivers," she writes.
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Posted
Jan 11 2008, 03:41 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Twentysomething Meg at AllFinancialMatters has some advice for other people of her generation: Having a job you're passionate about is highly overrated. Despite what you've been told since grade school, "not many people are qualified or talented enough to fulfill their 'passion' as a video-game tester, a fashion model, an athlete, a musician, a writer or an Internet mogul," she writes. In fact, she says, believing otherwise "can promote impatience, entitlement mentality, poor work ethic, chronic dissatisfaction, frustration and even depression." What's important, Meg says, is balance.
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Posted
Jan 22 2008, 08:55 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from David Wood at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com. There is one thing about being a teen that every generation experiences. A teen must have a place to hang out, a place to meet and socialize with friends. For some of us it might have been the malt shop, for others the mall. For today's teen, it's the Internet, especially MySpace, Facebook and other networking sites. These sites generally offer an excellent way for teens to keep up with their friends while making new friends along with the way. MySpace has grown to be the behemoth of the social-networking Web sites, thanks in part to its openness that allows teens to be, well, open. But this openness has created a headache for parents, teachers and teens, while raising serious issues of privacy and safety. Trying to restore its good name -- and to relieve mounting legal pressure from 49 states and the District of Columbia -- MySpace recently agreed to implement new measures to protect young users from sexual predators. Earlier MySpace had deleted the profiles of about 29,000 known sex offenders and predators. But deleting known predators doesn't solve the problem of young people who inadvertently give away too much information about themselves, or who, like 13-year-old Megan Meier, fall victim to hoaxes or harassment.
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Posted
Feb 19 2008, 08:45 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Deb Holder's 17-year-old daughter received a credit card application in the mail, and it wasn't a mistake -- this despite the fact that her daughter is an unemployed high school senior. The application included information on responsible spending targeted at both the teenager and the parents, who are required to co-sign. "Still, it gave me this sick feeling in my stomach. Why are they targeting my child?" Deb writes in a post at Debt-Free Mom. "The answer is quite simple: Because they can."
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Posted
Apr 14 2008, 01:10 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A new survey shows that only 48.3% of high school seniors could correctly answer basic questions about personal finance. That's the worst score in the six times the survey has been conducted. For instance, 48% realize that a person who pays only the minimum due on a credit card each month will end up paying more in finance charges than those who pay more than the minimum. In fact, 18% thought the person who pays off the entire balance each month will pay the most finance charges. Actually, Steve at brip blap, who posted about the survey results (to read the post, click here) made public by the Federal Reserve last week, thinks there is reason for optimism in these answers. He goes on a little political rant to make his point.
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Posted
May 02 2008, 01:10 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Freedom awaits, new high school graduates. After all, "the world is your oyster, and who doesn't like oysters," says brip blap's Steve, a thoughtful guy and somewhat of a jokester. But so does the boogeyman: You'll have to start paying for all the stuff parental units used to take care of. "Yes, of course, the luxuries of shoes, Wiis, ironically detached rock band T-shirts and overpriced notebook computers used primarily for Facebook, but also items you didn't realize were so horribly expensive while Pops was paying for them -- milk, cell phone bills, iTune downloads," Steve says. Steve's 10 tips can help you find your way as you embark on a college career.
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Posted
Aug 14 2008, 09:20 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar. There are a lot of ways to choose a career. Most of them are bad. Someone tells you, "Hey, you know, you should be a ...." Bad. You started a job and just kind of stuck around because nothing better came along. Bad. You pick out a college major because it seems interesting at first glance, without really knowing the kind of work it entails. Bad.
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Posted
Sep 16 2008, 03:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of U.S. teenagers. So why shouldn't we talk about raising the legal driving age? "BeThisWay" at Are You Going To Be This Way The Rest Of The Time I Know You? tackled the question head-on in a post called "Captain Obvious reports: 16-year-olds maybe shouldn't be licensed." Her conclusion may surprise you.
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