Allowance Rules in the Electronic Age

Cash allowances still make sense, but how do you set up a system that works for you and your tech-dependent kids?

In an era of online shopping with virtual cash, many parents are struggling with two issues, reports the Wall Street Journal: whether to continue giving their kids a cash allowance and how to set up a system that works.

The first answer, in my opinion, is easy: A cash allowance still makes sense. And the second isn't too tough either: The basic rules still work and can be adapted to allowance 2.0.

  • Start at an appropriate age. Children start learning about money in school at age 6 or 7, and that's when they also begin to appreciate how far it will stretch (younger kids don't always grasp that). Start with a weekly allowance equal to half a child's age, which you can adjust up or down.
  • Don't tie the basic allowance to chores. Some families are incredibly well organized. But in my experience many parents have a tough time keeping track of multiple chores over the course of a week. Even with online chore-tracking sites, the system can collapse under its own weight.
  • Instead of attaching the basic allowance to everyday household jobs, tie it to "financial chores." Make kids responsible for some of their own expenses: collectibles, movie tickets, after-school snacks -- or, with allowance 2.0, music downloads and online games.To link pay with work, pay for "extra" jobs as soon as your kids complete them. That's easier to monitor than a week's worth of chores.
  • Keep it simple. When my children were younger, we kept track of their money with a simple checkbook system. Each month I'd record their allowance (plus gift money or other income) in a checkbook for kids. When they wanted money, they'd write me a check and subtract it from their balance. We always knew where they stood.In the Wall Street Journal story, one mother had worked out a similar system for allowance 2.0: She uses her BlackBerry to keep tabs on her kids' accounts.
  • Don't accept IOUs from your kids. Chasing after them to reimburse you has always been a losing proposition, and that's even more true if they've used plastic to buy online music downloads or video games. If the kids want to spend $10 or $20 on, say, iTunes, have them give you the cash first and you can load it on the account. It may cost you a little effort, but the lesson is worth it.

Next week: What about prepaid debit cards?

Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Save up to 74%
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hwgJ7osrMtUWhk5koeVme7-200-80.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Sign up
Janet Bodnar
Contributor

Janet Bodnar is editor-at-large of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, a position she assumed after retiring as editor of the magazine after eight years at the helm. She is a nationally recognized expert on the subjects of women and money, children's and family finances, and financial literacy. She is the author of two books, Money Smart Women and Raising Money Smart Kids. As editor-at-large, she writes two popular columns for Kiplinger, "Money Smart Women" and "Living in Retirement." Bodnar is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and is a member of its Board of Trustees. She received her master's degree from Columbia University, where she was also a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism.