According to Bank of America, financial management is the most important lesson a parent can teach their child. Although there are obviously many other important lessons parents teach their children, I do agree that financial literacy can help children lead a more stable life, and should be instilled at a young age.
The Merrill Lynch Affluent Insights Quarterly, which surveyed 1,000 Americans in June with investable assets of at least $250,000, found that 51 percent cited “financial know- how” as the most important life lesson to share with their children. That compares with 54 percent who named maintaining ties to family, 26 percent who said choosing the right spouse and 11 percent who mentioned staying physically fit.
“Cash and debt management, along with their children’s financial literacy, have become increasingly important to our clients as they juggle often competing financial demands while hoping to teach the next generation how to effectively manage their own money,” Dean Athanasia, head of banking and the direct investment division for Bank of America Global Wealth and Investment Management, said in a statement.
As uncertainty over jobs and long-term economic recovery increases, affluent investors are worried about rising college and retirement costs, the survey said. About 40 percent of respondents said they are concerned about the rising cost of college education and 46 percent are worried about their ability to preserve an inheritance for their children.