Teaching Financial Literacy at Home

I grew up in a family where money is a taboo subject and financial education is never taught. I actually learned about such important concepts as personal finance and financial freedom through self-study. My mother, who was in-charge of budgeting in our one-income household when I was little, wasn’t really a good example when it came to managing our limited financial resources.

Chalkboard Series - Money
Image Source: http://connexcu.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/connecticut-gets-an-f-in-financial-literacy/

Back then, we were living from paycheck to paycheck and we were acquiring liabilities instead of assets. While my parents certainly did their best to provide for our needs, the idea of financial freedom was non-existent to them. Or maybe they knew about it, but it was just not among their top priorities.

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Emergency Fund: What, Why, and Where

Emergency fund is money set aside for use in cases when you suddenly have to spend on something very important or urgent. It could be anything from job loss, sickness, and unforeseen expense. Actually, you can recognize it easily when you experience it.

Emergency fund, or funds for that matter, should be accessible any time the need for it arises. Personally, I had been aware of the concept of emergency fund during my high school years and I got to build up my own only when I got my first job. I didn’t take it too seriously then. As long as I had some money in my savings account, I thought I was okay.

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First Real Investment

Last month, the hubby and I took the bold step of investing through retail treasury bonds (RTBs). Don’t ask the amount. It’s just a small one that’s why we didn’t hesitate to use it for that purpose. We think it’s better than keeping it in a savings account where it earns very low interest. We still have some funds left in case of emergency so I guess we made a good decision with this one.

RTBs are a good investment. It’s the government that borrows the money so the risks are almost non-existent. I think it’s better than time deposits as it offers higher interest at a fixed rate. The investment time is longer, though, so you really have to make sure not to touch the money within the set period, say 10 years or more. Otherwise, there will be some risks.

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