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Bank Account for Students – When to Get One

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    Your child is growing up, and you know they’re getting far too old when they suddenly come to you and ask you for a bank account. What do you do? Should you say yes? Should you say no (merely on principle, of course)? How do you answer when your child comes to you and asks you if they can have a bank or checking account?

    If you’re like most parents, the first thing you do is panic. “How has your child gotten old enough to have a bank account?” you may wonder. The next thing you should do, however, instead of having a heart attack at how old your child is would be to make a plan. Is your child ready for a bank account for students? Here are a few ways to tell.

    Are they earning money? If they have a steady income, they need to have a place to put the funds that they’re earning other than just in the piggy bank at home. A bank account for students may be just the place for that money to rest.

    Are they able to remember things? If they have a checking account and can’t remember to write down that they’ve withdrawn, they may have a hard time with their bank account and may overdraw it significantly. The Conversation

    If you’ve decided that your child is ready, it’s time to sit them down and to have a conversation. Help them to open a bank account for students and explain what you expect from them in regards to the account. It may be a good idea to avoid letting them have a debit card for awhile, until you’ve learned that they’re trustworthy with the checkbook.

    Make a rule that a percentage of the money that they deposit can go into their checkbook, but that another percentage should go into the savings bank account for students for college. There are a number of different types of accounts you can choose from, and you may want to use the opportunity to sit down with your student and to show them the different types of accounts they can get.

    Let them know that you have the right to peek into their bank account for students so that you can make sure that the money isn’t disappearing faster than its being put in, and make sure that they know that the bank account can be pulled at any time. As long as they follow the rules, it’s a great way to teach responsibility and to help them learn how to be a grown up.
    Click here to continue the discussion in our forums. Be sure to check out our Teen Resource Guide as well!