In a world where everyone is chasing more, quotes like ‘’money makes the world go round” are front and centre. A world where people are losing millions to scams and get rich quick schemes, where people are over-indebted to the point they go into depression or sometimes worse. In this world, our world, it is imperative that individuals understand their relationship with money. To understand that money is a tool that can enable a better and more enriched life and not view money as a noose.
Findamentals has an ambitious goal to build a universe of financially literate individuals. We envision a world where individuals retire comfortably, and have amassed enough wealth to pass on to their future generations. A world where debt is used for wealth generation and not wealth destruction. A world where individuals are knowledgeable about the various financial implications of their lifestyle decisions and understand financial products and how to best use them to reach their financial goals.
However, the current landscape does not look like that. 67% of the global population is classified as financially illiterate. In South Africa, the statistics are not much different 57% of the population is classified as financially illiterate. The implications of the statistics in the South African context are as follows: Only 4% of South Africans can retire comfortably, almost 50% of South Africans do not manage to save at all and lastly, South Africans spend an average of 75% of their income servicing debt.
To build a better future, we need to start with the next generation, building the right habits and knowledge in a simple and impactful manner. We are passionate about building the next generation of financially literate teens. To build a world where the next generation of adults are good stewards of their money, where they are not heavily indebted, where they use money wisely and use it to live abundant lives.
Are you a parent of the next generation? We want to highlight a few things that you can do to prepare your children for their financial future.
1. Write down your vision
We have told you what we envision for the next generation but now the question is: What do you envision for your children? Write it down, remind yourself thereof and even share it with your kids when you think the time is right.
2. Have open conversations
The simplest headstart you can give your children is sharing how you make your financial decisions. This will teach them how to reason and they may even become a team player that supports the household financial plan. Additionally, you will give your kids an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and hopefully not make the same ones.
3. Prepare for your own future
One of the biggest burdens placed upon people in South Africa is supporting their parents in old age. Yes, we do it gladly and with gratitude towards what our parents did for us but imagine if we could put away this money for future generations instead. If possible, make sure you can take care of yourself in old age.
These tips were for you, the parents, but Findamentals has partnered with Sticitt to reach teens and teach a few principles like delayed gratification, planning how to spend, save, and share your money, the basics of investing, and how to monetise their passions in our FinTeen course. Find out more by emailing us at info@findamentals.co.za or filling in this short form.
Join hands with us as we build the next generation of financially literate teens so that together, we can get to a universe of financially literate individuals.