Dad's Off, So His Daughter Takes Over
"Getting Going" columnist Jonathan Clements is on vacation this week, but the writer filling in for him may be the next best thing: his daughter. Hannah Clements has some insightful comments to share, gleaned from being both a teenager and the child of The Wall Street Journal's personal-finance columnist.
It's time for some change or, better still, maybe a few bucks.
My dad is taking a few days off, so I'm filling in this week. Sure, I am only 16 years old. But don't worry, I know a thing or two about managing money.
After all, my dad is always talking about it, so I have learned a lot over the years -- including stuff Dad never meant to teach me.
Examples? Here are five things every kid ought to know about money.
1. Hitting Up Dad
Right now, I have $3 in my wallet, $100 left on my prepaid spending card and a month until I receive my quarterly allowance. My financial situation is grim. Being an expert and all, I've learned that when you are strapped for cash, there are two options: Get a job or extract it from your family.
Hitting up family is clearly the easier option, but it does take skill. Brendan Gilmartin, age 16, goes to high school in Metuchen, N.J., where I live. As he puts it, "knowing the enemy is extremely important."
To succeed, it's essential to corner your parents when they are in a good mood and to figure out which parent is most likely to cave. It also helps if you can convince your parents that you plan to spend the money in some worthy way.
For example, saying you need the money to buy a new computer game won't cut it. But what if you reposition the computer game as "educational software"? Stretching the truth isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Alternatively, make a big deal out of how you are such a good saver and how you don't want to dip into your piggybank. The weird thing is, if you pretend you are responsible with money and not much of a spender, your parents are likely to give you more money. Go figure.
Here's something else to consider. To my dad, $20 is nothing. To me, it's a small fortune. The logical conclusion: If my dad is committed to improving our family's overall happiness, he should give me more money. He may be a little unhappier. But I will be really, really happy.
2. Extending the Family
Unfortunately, if your dad is the personal-finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal, it's hard to outfox him financially. Luckily, family doesn't end there.
My suggestion: Keep uncles, aunts and grandparents fully up to date on impending celebrations, such as your birthday or your high-school graduation. In fact, be sure to invite those relatives in California to all the big events. There's no way they'll actually come. But they will certainly feel guilty enough to send a check.
Best of all are "coming of age" parties, such as the "sweet 16" I had last year. Such parties represent a wonderful way to transfer wealth from parents to children. My parents paid for the party, but I kept all the birthday cards containing $20 bills. As my dad noted glumly after the event, we broke even as a family -- but he was out of pocket.
3. Never Work Retail
What if your family turns out to be a financial disappointment? Most teenagers opt for the steady $6 or $8 an hour that they can get by working retail jobs at the mall or at the local ice cream parlor.
In reality, you are much better off taking odd jobs. Take Sam Shampain, age 16, who will be a senior this year at Metuchen High School. On snow days, he gets up at the crack of dawn. By 9 a.m., he has lined up four shoveling jobs. Ninety minutes later, he has himself $90. As he points out, "you would have to scoop a lot of ice cream to make that sort of money."
4. Shopping With Mom
My mother has always said you should never go grocery shopping when you're hungry, or you will end up buying all kinds of junky food to satisfy your craving. It is the same thing with the shopping mall.
If you start hunting for a prom dress months in advance, you will probably make a smart choice. But if you are desperate to buy a new shirt for the dance next week, you will buy anything at any price.
There are other ways that time can help. As every kid eventually discovers, most purchases never look as good at home as they do in the store. My advice: Try the three-day rule. If you aren't sure whether you should buy something, leave the store empty handed, wait at least three days and see if you still want it.
Of course, the best way to get what you want and spend little is to bring your mom with you. "Sounds embarrassing" is your first thought. A few hours shopping with Mom, however, will not only make her happy, but also make her more willing to drop money on you.
End result: You go home with a bag full of new clothes and some family-bonding time under your belt.
5. It's All Relative.
Metuchen is a middle-class town of 13,000 with both modest homes and huge Victorian houses. And, no, we certainly don't live in one of the huge Victorians.
That brings me to my last rule for managing money. No matter how much you save, there will always be a kid with more money than you. You will probably clear tables for three years in order to buy a hunk-of-junk car.
Two months later, your friend gets a Mercedes for her birthday. You think, "Why am I friends with this person?" But think about this: There is probably someone who is jealous of all the stuff you have. Now, if only you could figure out who it is.
小鬼当家
专栏作家乔纳森?克莱门茨(Jonathan Clements)本周休假，顶替他撰写本期专栏文章的正是他的女儿：汉娜?克莱门茨(Hannah Clements)。作为十几岁的少女、同时又是《华尔街日报》(The Wall Street Journal)个人理财专栏作家的千金，她有一些理财心得想和各位读者分享。
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现在是时候做一些改变了，最好再来上几美元。
我爸爸要休假几天，所以本周由我来为大家执笔。当然，我只有16岁，不过别担心，对于理财，我还是略知一二的。
毕竟我总听爸爸谈论这些事情，所以经过多年的耳濡目染，我也学了不少东西，甚至还有一些是爸爸根本就不想教给我的。
例子？以下就是所有的孩子都应该知道的关于理财的五个窍门。
1.向老爸求助
此刻我的钱包里有3美元，购物卡中只剩下100美元，而我还要等上一个月才能领到下一季度的零花钱。我现在的手头可有些吃紧了。作为一名行家里手，我知道当缺钱花的时候可以有两个办法对付：打工或是压榨家人。
显然压榨家人会更容易些，不过这也需要技巧。布伦丹?吉尔马丁(Brendan Gilmartin)今年16岁，他上高中了。按他的话说就是："知己知彼，百战百胜。"
为了成功把钱弄到手，你要等到父母心情好的时候再开口，并且要搞清楚谁更容易被突破。如果你能说服父母你打算把钱花在有用的地方，也会增加你的胜算。 比如，如果你说你想要钱买游戏软件，那肯定不行。不过如果你把游戏软件说成"学习软件"，没准儿钱就到手了。略微夸大一点事实并不一定是件坏事。
或者，你可以装做特别喜欢存钱，并且极不愿意动用自己的储蓄。奇怪的是，如果你假装花钱谨慎，不大手大脚，你的父母很有可能会给你更多的钱。自己算算吧。
这里还有一些事情是你需要考虑到的。对于我爸，20美元算不了什么，但对于我，这可就是一笔小财富了。由此可以推理出这样的结论：如果我爸想让全家人更开心，他就应该给我更多的钱，原因是：他因此只会有一点小小的不快，而我却会非常、非常地高兴。 2.向其他家庭成员求助
如果你爸恰好也是《华尔街日报》个人理财专栏的作家，很不幸，你将很难从他身上捞到什么好处。不过好在家里还有其他人。
我的建议是：遇上过生日、高中毕业等值得庆祝的事情时，通知你所有的叔叔、婶婶、舅舅、舅妈、爷爷、奶奶、外公、外婆。事实上，要确保通知到所有临近的亲戚。他们不一定会亲自来向你祝贺，但如果他们不给你寄张支票什么的，肯定会觉得过意不去的。
其中最好的要数"成年生日"聚会，就像我去年的"甜蜜的16岁"生日聚会。这样的聚会能让父母的钱神不知鬼不觉地流入孩子的腰包。我爸妈出钱开了这次生日会，而那些附有20美元的生日卡则统统归我所有。生日会后，我爸才郁闷地发现：全家盈亏相抵，但是是我赚了，他赔了。
3.不要在零售店打工
如果家人没能满足你的愿望该怎么办？多数孩子会选择在购物中心或当地的冰激凌店打工，每小时获得6美元或8美元的稳定收入。
而事实是，尝试一下其他的工作也许能赚更多的钱。16岁的山姆?沙姆培恩(Sam Shampain)今年是高中毕业班的学生。在下雪的日子里，他常常天刚破晓就起了床。到上午9点之前，他已经得到了四份铲雪的活儿，90分钟后，他赚到了90美元。正像他所说的："要想赚到这么多钱，你得卖出不少冰激凌呢。"
4.和妈妈一起逛街
我妈总是说，不要在肚子饿的时候逛食品店，否则你会买下很多垃圾食品来填补空空的肠胃。逛商场也是同样的道理。
如果你提前几个月就开始搜寻舞会服装，你可能会作出明智的选择。不过，如果你必须马上为下周的舞会购买一件衬衣，你可能就顾不得价钱的高低了。
时间因素在其他地方也会发挥作用。几乎每个孩子都有这样的经历，一件东西在买回家后好像就没有在商店里看著那么好了。我的建议是：试试三天规则。如果你不能确定自己是不是要买一样东西，你最后空手离开商店，然后等上至少三天的时间，看看自己是不是还有购买的欲望。
当然，买到称心的东西、而又一分钱不花的最好办法就是和妈妈一块逛街。你的第一反应可能是"这样做有些难为情"。然而。和妈妈一块儿逛上几个小时，不仅能让她高兴，而且还会让她更愿意给你钱花。
结果是：你带著满满一包新衣服回家，同时还加深了和妈妈的感情。
5.有钱没钱都是相对的
我家住在一个中等规模的小镇，人口只有13,000人。镇上既有一般的房子，也有维多利亚式的豪宅。当然，我家住的并不是豪宅。
这让我想到了最后一条理财原则。无论你多有钱，总有其他的孩子比你更有钱。为了买一辆不怎么样的汽车，你可能需要擦上三年的桌子。
而两个月后，你的一个朋友得到一辆奔驰(Mercedes)轿车作为生日礼物。你会想："为什么我会和她是朋友？"不过，你想想看，可能还有其他人忌妒你拥有的一切呢。现在要能找到这个人是谁就好了。
