Parents: Get Your Kids Off to a Great Financial Start

May is graduation month. Almost all of us know someone who is heading off to college (how did they grow up so fast?) or getting ready to enter the real world with their first job.

If you're a parent of one of these young adults, help your son or daughter get started on sound financial footing. Does he or she know how to manage a checking account? Write a check? Have you explained the importance of paying their bills on time, and how to build a good credit history?

If you don't know where to start, you're in the right place. Balance Financial Fitness is CCCU's education partner that provides tools, podcasts and one-on-one financial advice – all free of charge. Here are a few ways to get started:

• Try MyBalance for creating a budget.
• Find out how to shop for the best credit card.
• Watch a Financial Fitness Minute video about buying a car.
• Download the Teens & Money podcast.

Of course, there are plenty of resources for parents, too. Anyone starting out on their own has enough to learn – if you can help your child avoid costly money mistakes, then you will have given them a priceless gift.