DRAFT TWO Spending Ed (Karen Fixing Blue Cards)

Kids learn to PAUSE before making a purchase.

In Three Quick Steps

1) Have an upbeat conversation. "You're going to start practicing smart spending — the same way teenagers practice safe driving before they hit the highway." Frame it as the privilege it is.

2) Take the quiz. This is a 10-question quiz that takes about five minutes and is designed for ages 9–15. A score of 8/10 or higher earns the permit. Retakes are unlimited and encouraged.

3) Issue the permit. Download a Permit, add their name, and hand it over at the kitchen table the way someone at the DMV would: slight formality, mild ceremony, eye contact. "You're now authorized to practice smart spending."

Read the entire "Smart Spending Learner's Permit" blog post here.

Then, to PROTECT themselves from the pressure to buy.

In Four Quick Steps

1) Have an upbeat conversation. "Now you're ready to drive a few of these decisions on your own." Frame it as the promotion it is.

2) Take the quiz. The Defensive Spending Quiz is built for this stage. The bar is a little higher (kids need to get 9/10). Again, retakes are unlimited and always encouraged.

3) Fill out the Family Agreement — together. The agreement is where you formally decide which categories your kids now control (snacks out with friends, a gaming subscription) and the $ amount limits for those categories. Both of you sign.

4) Issue the license. Add their name and hand it over with the same small ceremony as the learner's permit. "You're now cleared to spend defensively, on your own, on what and for how much, we’ve agreed.

Read the entire Defensive Spending License blog post here.

Finally, to spend every $ (even the fun ones) with a PLAN.

In Four Quick Steps

1) Have the conversation. "You're ready to direct your own money toward what matters most to you." This is a big moment for you and your child — treat it like one.

2) Take the quiz. The bar is as high as it gets: 10 out of 10; the perfect-score requirement underscores that the independence they’re earning matters. Retakes are encouraged.

3) Complete the Pre-Commitment. Name a goal, map the pressures against it, and set guardrails to protect it.

4) Issue the license. Kids don’t just add their name; they sign the Strategic Spending License. Hand them the pen along with the metaphorical wheel.

Read the entire Strategic Spending License blog post here.

We've been delivering Spending Ed for over a decade.

1) What's our big idea? 

2) Why is now the time for Spending Ed? 

3) Learn more about each skill level, as well as pre-existing practice grounds and on-ramps to raising money-smart kids.

4) Have all the tools and resources (across all three levels of Spending Ed) in one handy place.