Technology is taking over every part of our lives. That includes the way today’s generation of children and teenagers learn about money. We say that not to suggest that books and traditional learning are becoming obsolete, but there is no denying that cellphones and other mobile devices are becoming a larger part of the learning experience every day.
Accordingly, we want to help you prepare for the way your child is likely going to want to learn about personal finance and general financial literacy – through their phones, tablets, iPads etc.
In order to help you stay ahead of the trend as a parent hoping to raise a financially literate child, we've already given you some finance-related book recommendations for your child but now, here are three great personal finance apps that your child can use to learn about personal finance and get comfortable with money at an early age.
1. FamZoo Family Finance (Apple App Store)
This app is designed for children aged 5-18 and it "functions as a virtual bank [where] parents are the ‘bankers’ and the kids are the ‘customers’”. This app connects the whole family and allows you to give your child the opportunity to learn how to save money, track spending and receive real money through prepaid and reloadable debit cards. This app also allows you to give your children loans, and then teach them how to repay loans in increments over time.
2. Toshl Finance (Apple App Store)
Toshl Finance, an app designed for children between 13 and 18 years of age, teaches kids how to better budget their money. “Linked to one or more real bank accounts, [this app] includes charts and data visualizations that display past spending patterns and information about their current finances”. This app, on top of all that listed already, also has a feature allowing for reminders for when a payment is due and a receipt database.
3. Step (downloadable through step.com)
"Step is a banking app system designed for your teen. There’s no risk of your teen over-drafting their account and the debit card is protected by Visa’s Fraud Protection and Zero liability guarantee. Parents can instantly send money from an external bank right to their teen’s Step account by linking their account or debit card. Teens can also set up direct deposit of a pay check”.
Let us know in the comments of this blog if you plan on downloading any of these apps and checking them out to help your child become more financially aware and boost their financial literacy skills and expertise from an early age.
Then, if you want to take it a step further, we encourage you to visit our website here and sign your child up today for one of our personal finance programs.
We’ve got nationally and internationally-acclaimed programs in this area for children in grades one all the way to grade twelve, covering topics from the basics and history of money to the stock market and global finance, that we trust and believe will give you a way to help your child get on a path to superior financial literacy both in the present and in the future! Check them out today and sign your child up as soon as possible!