Before you can teach your child about money, they must know some basic math. And even the most advanced mathematician can be intimidated when it comes to teaching kids math.

We’ve all seen a parent ask a child how old they are, and some random number of fingers show up. Or heard a child count and skip half the numbers. It’s so cute.

As a homeschool and foster/adoptive parent to older kids, I have had to teach math from a variety of stages and in a variety of methods. No one method works for every child.

Starting Young

Math for my two biological children started very young and in two places: the kitchen and the grocery store!

Baking cupcakes is where they learned fractions. Circa March, 2008

In the Kitchen

Every parent knows that your child wants to be where you are. Instead of banging on pots and pans or pulling everything out of the cabinets, I invited my children to do what I did.

They measured and stirred, chopped (with a butter knife at this age) and poured. It was messy. There were lots of “oops” moments. But my kids understood the concept of fractions before they could count to one hundred.

And they loved decorating and delivering their baked goods to neighbors and family.

In the Grocery Store

We were blessed with a FANTASTIC Kroger near us when my children were small. The staff quickly became accustomed to our weekly “math” lessons/grocery shopping trips.

Because I worked from home and had flexible hours, we went during their least busy times. And the kids quickly became confident and independent in their tasks. (Safety was always considered, but the staff were great and quickly understood what we were doing and supported that.)

We started with shapes and colors. They couldn’t read at this age (think 2 and 3) but on any given aisle I would assign them each to find a certain shape or color. This exercise not only gave me a chance to grab what I needed unencumbered by “can I have” or whines, but kept them active and engaged.

As we got started, I would show them an example and discuss characteristics…

• A square has 4 equal sides while a rectangle has two sides that are equal and then another two sides are equal, but not all four.
• Or a circle is flat while a cylinder has a circle on the top and a circle on the base, like this Pringles container.

Elementary Age Math

Because I knew I would homeschool, I never considered school standards or the order I taught things. We really followed a Montessori method and most learning was child led.

If they expressed an interest we went with it. There were no experiences that I couldn’t and didn’t make a lesson out of.

As they got more advanced, those grocery descriptions became more advanced and their tasks got more complex. By the time they were in early elementary, they would each have a small measuring tape and have to find items with a certain perimeter or tell me the area or volume of a box. Geometry at it’s finest.

Introducing Math Curriculum

Even in elementary children are more apt to learn by play and movement, but I understand the need ingrained in us from our own education to use worksheets and curriculum.

One math curriculum that understands and does a good job of meeting both needs is Math-U-See. They offer a mastery based, student paced curriculum that encourages, even demand the use of manipulatives even through their upper level classes.

Math-U-See Integer Block Kit – Manipulatives

And don’t worry if the thought of teaching your child math intimidates you, they offer a full video curriculum as well!

Teaching your young child math can be so much fun! More play than teaching really. And it can take you anywhere and does not require any special skills, tools or forethought most of the time.

Ask your child what the volume is of the drink they are drinking, show them how to read the label. Then turn that into a science lesson by talking about the path it will follow…at elementary age that’s super simple. You can even add a health lesson by talking about the affects of whatever they are drinking on their teeth or general health.

In the end, your child will learn more from you through these short engagements then in any classroom. So put down your phone, turn off the TV and lets do a scavenger hunt for “blue” things! Have fun!

Everyone wants their home to be a healthy one. So we visit the doctor, eat healthy foods, and exercise regularly. There are other things we should do in order to maintain health that is quite common and yet we don’t think of them when we talk about healthy living. Read on if you’d like to dive into healthy living in all manner of ways.

Removing Vermin

A pest control service, such as Moxie Pest Control, is a vital tool in maintaining health. Roaches, mice, rats, and raccoons are annoyances but they also carry disease. If they are ignored when you see them, they could decide to take up residence. This puts you at a high risk of being bitten. Feces from roaches and vermin can also carry toxic bacteria that can make you very sick. It is in your best interest to call an exterminator at the very first sign of any pest. You may only see one but hundreds can already be in the walls, basement, or stalking your property.

Cleanliness Is Important

Many people make an assumption that the sight of roaches means you have an unclean home. This simply isn’t true! Cleanliness is an entirely different situation and it also does not indicate that you could eat off the floor. There will always be a speck of dust somewhere. What we are talking about is taking care of the home and cleaning up after yourself so you don’t have a health issue.

Mold is one of the biggest concerns and can cause you to be sick simply from breathing it in, making mold removal an important job. Mold is often caused by high humidity and water leaks. Mold in shower stalls is a great example of how high humidity can create the situation. Regular cleanings and using the exhaust fan while taking a hot shower will combat any mold trying to grow. Water leaks account for mold in unusual spots like a closet or inside the wall. Routine pipe maintenance can keep this from occurring.

In general, routine cleaning will allow you to spot signs of mold very quickly. And if you are constantly battling mold in routine cleanings, then you know to call a specialist to investigate.

Dirty Air Is A No-No

If you have an air conditioner or central air system, you will need to pay attention to the air filter. Air filters should be replaced every 90 days, 60 days if you have a pet, to keep your air clean. However, it is one item on routine maintenance that gets ignored a lot. When your air filter gets clogged, it releases pathogens into your home. The same pathogens it’s supposed to remove from the air so that you can breathe easy. These pathogens can make you very sick over time as you are essentially polluting your own air. It only takes a few dollars to replace an air filter and it is in your best health interest to put it on the calendar of things you should be doing.

If you have a newborn baby, you are going to want to create a healthy home. If you have grandma moving in with you, or it’s just you, you are going to want a healthy home. Stay on top of cleaning up, repair anything that needs to be repaired, and keep your maintenance up to date and it shouldn’t be too hard.

Image from pixabay.com

A living trust has many benefits, especially for parents of young children who cannot manage finances yet. Wills are a great way of securing a future plan for your family. From a single parent point of view this is even more important.

No matter how much or little money or property a single parent has, they still need to manage their estate now and in the future.  Your estate is made up of all money and personal property you own at the time of your death. Which means estate planning is for everyone. For a single parent it is not ony important to ensure their estate is managed but also that a trust is set up to ensure that their children are cared for in the event of their death.

What is a trust and how to set one up?

Establishing a trust for your children means you can appoint a guardian to provide financial assistance for them. It is a provision put in place to take care of your children until the time they are able to manage their own finances, usually when they come of age. Trusts are not complex to set up however you do need a trusted, legal representative or firm to make sure everything is completed correctly before and in the event of your death. For example, Russells.co.uk offer services including setting up a trust in case the worst should happen.

How do you go about preparing a will?

Preparing a will might seem quite daunting. But once you have something put in place you will feel so much happier knowing you have planned for the future. There are few steps you can take to get yourself ready to make your will.

• Make a note of all accounts and property that you own.
• Identify a trustee and a back up to take care of your children’s finances. Make sure they are aware and happy to do so in the event of your death.
• Decide if there are any assets that will be left to persons other than your children.

What should you do next?

Appoint a solicitor to make sure your will is legal. Include in your will what will happen to all of your property and funds, who will benefit and who the guardians and trustees are. Importantly for it to be legal you must make it in writing, sign it in the presence of two witnesses who are both over eighteen and have them sign it in your presence. Remember our witnesses cannot be beneficiaries. Once this is completed you need to keep your will in a safe place. Advice includes keep a copy with your solicitor, your bank or with the London Probate service.

Do you have a plan in place?

Making a will might not be at the top of your lists, especially as a busy single parent. But what happens if you suffer an injury or illness which means you can no longer manage your finances or worse in the event of your death. Having a will ensures your children are protected and it also make sure you don’t pay more Inheritance Tax than is necessary. Being prepared for the future means you can enjoy the good times now worry free.

Let’s face it, while we all understand the importance of emergency funds, many of us simply find it financially hard to maintain one. So what can you do when an unexpected expense arises and payday is nowhere in sight?

Consider these three options to pull you through a financial crisis.

Trim your budget

If you can trim some expenses from your monthly budget, then it may be possible for you to fill the gap created by a financial emergency. Think about cutting out unessential expenses like your cable bill or some other subscription you might have.

You can also hold off on eating out and prepare meals at home, instead. If you had budgeted money to get your hair done or to get a manicure or pedicure, consider forgoing them this month or at least until you have cleared this current expense.

If you regularly use a home cleaning service, then rolling up your sleeves and taking on some of the chores yourself could also save you a few bucks. After you have taken care of this immediate expense, you can add the eliminated items back onto your budget.

Borrow from family or friends

The urgency of an expense often makes borrowing the only viable solution. In that case, turning to family and friends can be the cheapest option since they’ll usually charge very low or no interest. Ensure you repay promptly, however, to avoid strained relationships.

Keep in mind, too, that it’s quite likely your loved ones are dealing with the same financial hardships as you and are unable to help. Alternatively, even if they are in a position to help you, you may feel very embarrassed at having to ask.

Plus, family and friends, usually, have no qualms about impressing upon you the importance of maintaining an emergency fund. It’s a safe bet that’s not what you want to hear when you have a burning expense, you’re strapped for cash and your rainy day savings are non-existent.

Take out a short-term personal loan

A short-term personal loan from a large financial institution will typically take days or weeks to process. The amount you need to borrow may also be below the minimum they lend.

If you need a relatively small amount of cash quickly, then a payday loan could be the answer. Your repayment options will be either by a post-dated personal check or by giving the lender authorization to electronically withdraw the funds from your account.

Another short term loan to look at is asking your boss for a salary advance. Don’t forget, however, that your next salary check will be short by at least the amount you borrow (interest might be applied). If the arrangement is for you to repay over time, be prepared to work with a tight budget for the next few months.

Aside from the three we’ve looked at, there are other options available to you (such as selling a few items of value you own or working a part-time gig). Once this expense is cleared, give that emergency fund some serious consideration for the next time an unexpected expense pops up.

Although aware that accidents happen, most people don’t become truly aware of how impactful it can be until it actually happens to them or someone they know. In the blink of an eye, a person’s life could be turned upside down. They experience pain and discomfort from their injuries, emotional distress from the trauma, and the difficulties of dealing with insurance companies, but that’s not all that happens. Depending on the extent of your injuries, this unforeseen circumstance could impact your entire family and way of being.

You Need Help After an Accident

A car crash, slip and fall, or workplace injury often brings with it a ton of challenges. There are emotional, financial, and physical hurdles you’ll have to overcome and as you’re going through the motion, your family is right there in the trenches with you. That’s why many people decide to turn to legal experts like those found at https://www.fightingforyou.com/locations/garden-city-ny/.

Personal injury attorneys have more than just a clear understanding of the law, they also have a clear understanding of how negatively something this tragic could impact your life. They are trained to help clients understand their rights and get justice from those who caused their injuries (directly or indirectly). Your hired attorney can help you file an insurance claim as well as file a lawsuit if necessary. They’ll work with you every step of the way until you get some kind of relief.

The Aftermath of an Accident

Relief from what you ask? Here’s a look at how much an injury or accident can change your life:

Career – Whether you work for someone or run your own business, while you’re recovering from your injuries you won’t be able to perform your duties. For employees, this can mean needing to use sick and vacation time or applying for medical leave. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, this could mean putting your business on hold or needing to hire staff to fill in. If your injuries are serious enough, this could also mean you can’t return to work or your business -ever. This also means you aren’t able to provide for your family.

Finances – If you’re unemployed due to your injuries, you probably don’t have much cash to pay the bills. Service providers and bill collectors may be understanding of this for a while, however, eventually, you’ll need to pay your bills. This can lead to serious debt and other financial trouble. This could mean needing to downsize, cut out extracurricular activities you once enjoyed, or even pulling your kids out of a school they’re familiar with (if they’re in private school).

Mental Health – Your wounds aren’t the only thing that needs to be healed after an accident, your emotions will too. An accident is a traumatic experience and your injuries, inability to work and financial difficulties will only add to the emotional pressure you’re under. You may begin to feel depressed or even chronically stressed over your circumstances. Your family will pick up on this and it can have an emotional impact on them too. Not being able to live the life they are familiar with or seeing someone they love in so much pain can be difficult.

Time – From the moment of impact until you’ve recovered or found your new normal, an accident robs you of your time. It takes time away from work, your family, and your life, all of which can never be replaced.

Quality of life – Though some injuries can heal with time others are permanent. This essentially means that whatever limitations your injuries have put on you are permanent. You can no longer participate in activities you like or even work for a living. Your family isn’t able to experience you the same, and it may even change dynamics and routines.

An accident that results in injuries is never something easy to get through. It takes a toll on you physically, but it can be impactful to your family emotionally and financially. If your injuries were serious or permanent, this pain can be ongoing. Though difficult, it isn’t impossible to get through it all. Creating a budget, looking for financial assistance, hiring a personal attorney, and speaking with a therapist are all great places to start reclaiming your life – and your family’s.

Whether you lived beyond your means for too long, life threw unexpected costs you couldn’t afford or some variation between, you’ve come to realize that you’re in way more debt that you can handle.

It’s a scary feeling — when every dollar you have to your name isn’t actually yours, and every payment you make is costing you more than the balance you initially racked up. To continue on like this feels unbearable, and as you’ve lately come to realize, not even financially possible. Suddenly, you’re not able to afford your minimum payments.

Let’s look at how to deal with debt when it’s out of control.

Remove Temptation

When you’re dealing with big debt, the one absolute thing you cannot afford is to continue accumulating it. Cut up your credit cards immediately to stop the bleeding.

Budget for Improvement

If you can’t afford your monthly minimums, budgeting won’t solve your problems, but there’s likely still some areas you can easily improve upon if you’re motivated enough. Maybe it’s a subscription service you barely use or excess food you order when you feel like indulging yourself. Identify the most wasteful parts of your spending to start trimming fat.

Know Where You Stand

It can be scary to look in the mirror when you have large debt, but it’s the only way to see things clearly. Calculate your overall debt amount, how much you owe each of your creditors and their varying interest rates. You need to figure out how to make progress on them. If a leaner budget doesn’t afford enough additional money to make more than the minimum payments, you might want to consider debt relief options, such as debt management, debt consolidation or even debt settlement depending on how much you owe.

Decide on a Plan

The above steps should give you enough information about your financial picture to help you decide on a plan to pay back your debt. If you haven’t had big debt for a long time, then you can ask your creditor for a lower interest rate or to restructure your debt to make it more manageable. Remember: at the end of the day, creditors want to get paid, and they’ll usually work with you to ensure that happens.

In most cases, a debtor won’t be able to solve out-of-control debt on their own. This is because they’ve already either maxed out credit cards or missed payments. If you’re in this situation, debt management, debt consolidation or debt settlement become your options.

Debt Relief Options

With debt management, you’ll make one monthly payment on one interest rate to a credit agency, which will split up that payment to your various creditors.

Debt consolidation plans formally do a similar thing as DIY approaches, but with the help of a third-party company that attempts to consolidate your debts into one bulk payment and lower interest rate.

Debt settlement involves working with a third-party company that negotiates with your creditors to reduce your overall debt amount.

Then, there’s declaring bankruptcy, either through Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.

How much debt you have will ultimately dictate whether some or all of these strategies are available to you, but regardless the option you choose, invest time to research each company. Review sites, company reputation and customer service are criteria to keep in mind. Trustpilot is good for reviews and customer service can be assessed by calling the provider yourself. Company reputation, on the other hand, will take a little digging between the lines.

Some questions to keep in mind:

• How long has the company been in business?
• How much debt have they resolved?
• How many debtors have they helped?
• Are they accredited by American Fair Credit Council (AFCC)?

The answers to these questions should give you a good idea of a company’s track record. If executives within the company have been recognized for awards, like Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh of Freedom Debt Relief, that’s a bonus, but shouldn’t cement your decision by any means.

Making Good Habits Stick

Whether you choose a milder strategy like debt management or debt consolidation, or a more longer-play approach like debt settlement or debt relief, you can’t allow yourself to end up in debt again. Don’t take this to mean you can’t use credit ever again. Once you’re able to get a credit card again, be sure to only charge money that you can afford to pay back in the same month. If it helps, start by only purchasing things you need and have money to buy, like groceries or gas.

Keep on top of your budget, contribute to an emergency account, and once you have a nice cushion, start some kind of retirement account. I know this all sounds world’s away from where you’re currently at, but you can get there. Develop the discipline and put in the hard work now to enjoy a life free of financial limitations.

Children, anyone who has them will tell you, are expensive. That goes for twice-yearly full-wardrobe changes for growing bodies and feet, as well as the empty refrigerator that greets you every couple of days when you come home from work and find yourself nearly eaten out of house and home.

But do you know what costs even more?

Their education. In 2017, Maclean’s magazine undertook a thorough survey to determine just how much. To find out, they surveyed 23,384 undergraduate students to see how they spend their money—and how they saved for an education.

Their findings:  The average cost per year of post-secondary education in Canada is $19,498.75. Please note: That is the average. They found that a University of Toronto student living off campus can expect to spend $23,485 each year — the highest in the survey. Second was Toronto’s Ryerson University  at $23,066 (confirming that it is Toronto, as much as the school, that is expensive), but it was followed by Saint Mary’s University in Halifax at $22,892. Meanwhile, students living at home and attending Sherbrooke had the lowest costs for an education, at just $4,284.

Whether you want those same kids you raised from diapers living in your house into their mid-20s is a decision only you can make, but another decision you need to make — and sooner, not later — is how to save for what, even at its low end, is a significant expense.

You can get creative in your savings, but it’s hard to do that alone. Firms like Children’s Education Funds Inc. (CEFI) know the terrain better than you ever will, and likely even better than your neighbourhood banker. CEFI, which deals in Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) exclusively, offers several options to help maximize your education savings.

RESPs have long been a helpful tool for families to maximize their education savings, which take advantage of a federal government program that matches 20 percent of contributions up to a maximum of $500 per child per year — a metric that’s hard to beat anywhere. CEFI also offers three different plans and approaches — a bonus in a market where one-size-fits-all tends to be the norm.

Ultimately, after all that cooking, cleaning, nurturing, scolding and caring, what you’re really trying to do is help that little bird spread his or her wings and leave the nest. Taking advantage of every little thing to help them do that is as much your responsibility as a parent as bandaging a skinned knee — and to be honest, much more so. If you don’t, here’s something else to consider: Canadian students on average accumulate almost $16,000 in debt. There’s no band-aid for that. Better to be prepared.

TV commercials selling retirement planning services follow a consistent theme. They encourage you to think of retirement as a sort of well-deserved vacation. It’s a time to watch the sunset from your rocking chair, a time to play golf all day long, or a time to stand on the deck of a sailboat and stare at the horizon.

But it’s essential to shape your own Utopian ideals about what retirement could be for you. To design a retirement plan that will make you truly happy, here are three common assumptions that you should avoid making:

Common Assumption #1: Your Family Can Handle Your Funeral Expenses.

Funeral insurance, also referred to as burial insurance or final insurance, is a way to make sure that your family has the money needed to take care of your funeral arrangements. PolicyZip suggest that you should look into this specialized type of insurance to avoid burdening your family or beneficiaries with the cost of your funeral and other final expenses.

Common Assumption #2: You Have to Be More Conservative About Your Investments

When you speak to your financial advisor about your investments, don’t be surprised if they urge you to be cautious about it.  They are not being conservative about the market nor about your ability to invest wisely. Instead, they are coming from the perspective that you might not live long enough to benefit from more aggressive investment strategies.

Your financial advisor, for instance, may suggest that you change your strategy and get a more evenly balanced collection of fixed income investments and stocks, suggesting that you invest no more than 40 percent in equities.

Although they may not openly tell you that you might not live long enough to ride out many inevitable market lows, if you find yourself on the receiving end of this type of advice—ignore it.

It’s dated advice.

Modern improvements in living conditions, sanitation, and medicine has increased longevity, making it possible for all of us to live longer, productive lives.

You may, in fact, be better off continuing with your current balance of diversified investments. So, if you’re in your 60s, plan to invest for another 20 years. This is plenty of time to benefit from long-term investments. You don’t want to miss out on any future bull markets that could increase your financial security.

Common Assumption #3: You’ll Have to Stop Working During Retirement

Many people who have jobs they hate envision retirement as a time to escape the rat race—a way to finally break free from long-commutes, office politics, tedious work, and dysfunctional managers. But what if you’re a retiree who loved your work because it gave you a sense of identity and imbued your life with a sense of purpose and meaning?

Many people find work highly rewarding. Warren Buffett, for example, doesn’t need to work, but he can’t imagine doing anything else that’s as much fun.

So, if you’re an A-type personality, a race horse who loves to win, then being put to pasture might not feel like freedom. If you happen to be one of those people who love their work, then by all means continue to work. And if you’re working too many hours now, you could cut down on your hours, try a less demanding role, or try something new, but you don’t have to stop working completely.

Naturally, you shouldn’t see continuing to work as obviating the need to create a retirement nest egg. You’ll still need  a financial plan for retirement in case your health falters or you do decide you want to spend more time traveling and visiting the grandkids.

In conclusion, when planning for retirement, dare to think outside the box. Most people assume that their children or beneficiaries can handle their final expenses, that they should go easy on their financial strategies, or that they should resign themselves to boring routines just to keep themselves busy during retirement. None of these assumptions may be true for you.