Saving For Children's Education

One of the most common financial goals that couples have is to save money for their children's education, whether that be at a private school or a tertiary institution. Saving for this purpose is no different than saving for any other goal in life, yet there is a common misperception that funds need to be set aside separately or even in the child's name for this purpose. That can lead to a lower rate of investment return in some cases.

If you are going to save for your children's education, then you're probably looking at saving tens of thousands of dollars and it will take a number of years to get to that target.

That means starting when the child is young - in fact, probably at the preschool age. Anybody with preschoolers most probably has a mortgage. With mortgage interest rates being so high, the best place to put your money is into your mortgage to keep the interest payments down. If, for example, you are paying say 7.0% interest on your mortgage you would need to earn at least 7.0% after tax on an investment to make it worthwhile investing and not paying your mortgage. So pay off your debt as fast as you can, and then remortgage later if your still really want to help your kids. If you have grandchildren that you wish to provide for, the situation may be a little different. You probably won't have a mortgage and you may wish to make funds available that are clearly earmarked for your grandchildren and clearly specified to be used only for education costs. A good way of achieving these objectives is to set up an education trust. This can be done through a solicitor or trustee company. There will be a fee involved to establish and maintain the trust, but there will be safeguards in place to ensure that the funds are used for the purpose you intend. An education trust can be particularly useful in certain situations, for example, where there is a relationship breakdown between parents and a parent or grandparent wishes to make funds available without the risk of the money being used for a different purpose. An education trust can also be used where funds might be at risk of a possible future claim by business creditors.

There are specialist funds available that offer educational scholarships. The idea is that you contribute a regular amount into the fund and, if your child attends a tertiary institution there is a scholarship payable. Such funds need to be looked at carefully in terms of the likelihood of your child attending a tertiary institution and, in the event they do, the value of the scholarship in relation to the funds invested.

Liz Koh is a financial planner and the author of the best selling book - Your Money Personality: Unlock the Secret to a Rich and Happy Life, Awa Press, 2008, available from http://www.awapress.com.

For Liz's best tips for financial security, visit her website http://www.moneymaxcoach.com to receive your free e-book "8 Steps to Financial Freedom".

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Donation For Children's Education and Their Welfare

Children are the face of god. Their innocent smiles win our hearts and this innocence should be nurtured and not wasted away in the harshness of life. But to think of reality, million of children in India are deprived of a normal childhood, they are forced to set out on the footpath streets begging for a rupee or two. A number of these underprivileged children are thrown into early labor and the bitter ways of earning. They do not need our sympathetic looks but a simple encouraging help. You can help those children, the victims of harsh destiny by donating to charity homes or institution spread across the country.

A single rupee from your pockets can bring a vital change in their lives. The funds donated can be utilized in child development education. A number of NGO and charity homes have mushroomed across the cities and towns and these work hand in hand to promote child welfare and weed out the social evils which have clutched the future of India, the children of India. There are many good charities out there, the need is to do a little research to find them and stretch out a helping hand as your helping hands will guide these children to a bright future. One need not go hunting for the charities, the information is available online and even easier, one can donate online too.

The internet has grown tremendously over the years and it is today, the most powerful tool one can use to help donating to charity and thus, aid in the education and welfare of impoverished children. However, the donors should also be vigil enough to search amongst the many, many charities which are out there and ready to exploit the good will of people. You can take the help of many websites and thus, keep yourself from being fooled by the schemers. A list of guidelines will help you decide the charity you would want to give a donation to. And yes, while donating for charity always make sure that you donate it only to the charities you are familiar with. A number of known and popular charities like Plan India and many others are available online with all their information and guidelines. In case of other charities not so familiar to you, always check their details at your state or local government offices.

Do not give out your information to anyone asking for donations through e-mails; especially if you have not asked for any solicitation as a good chance lies for it to be fraudulent. Always explore well before making donation for children and check the financial records of the charity that asks you to donate. Concentrating on child welfare India has also taken crucial steps wherein the donations from the public are directed to child development education. National charities and the reputed charities let the donors know, where their donated money really goes. Therefore, research well and then bless the impoverished children towards a developed future.

Naval K Sharma is an expert writer working with organizations which provide child development education, Help Girl Child, Sponsor a Child Charity, donating to charity and help child welfare India.

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Parents and the Child Education

The good old adage that says "children are the leaders of tomorrow" is actually an indisputable truth and should not be ignored. As a result of this, children's education should be taken very serious and parents should not leave it up to schools alone. Schools tried their best, but the sole responsibilities lie on the parents, because they are suppose to give the child a head start in life than what is being taught in schools.

Schools are being directed by professional teachers and they can only perform within the dictate of their professional ethics. For example if a child lagged behind in any subject, it is the responsibility of the school to make sure that the child is able to cope with the subject based on the teacher's expertise and the school's approved standard of effective tutoring, anything that falls out this could be considered poor performance. This is to say that, parents should step up and do something to make sure that the child is able meet up and pass any of the difficult subjects - but not going to the school and be harassing the innocent teachers.

Parents can help the schools by encouraging the child to attend extra classes outside of school hours, with the aims of helping to boost the school efforts in the child's education. For example, in the Asian countries, children's education is on their top economic priorities, most students attends extra classes after schools hours and they all tried to learn English, because they know that they are going to have a better chance of securing good job after their education.

But, the attitude of parents towards children's education in some western countries is nothing to write home about. This is due to the advent of technology; students can close from schools to a place of fun or can even get busy by spending the rest of the day chatting with friends - it is not good for a child's future and parents must do something about it.

I am of the opinion that, it has to do with parent's attitudes toward the future. Some decades ago, things have been going smoothly and children did not need to worry about the future, this is due to the solid foundation laid by our founding fathers. But now, the attitudes has changed children education has been completely handed over to teachers and parents have forgotten; that tender motherly love and the soothing fatherly word of a caring father can do spur that child to the next level of educational achievement.

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Benefits of Children's Educational Toys and Games

Did you know that toys and games are vital to the total development of children? Yes, they are. These toys are not only made to provide fun and entertainment to children, but they serve other purposes as well. To learn more about its benefits, read this article.

As the famous saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." This holds true to children because play is not simply made to white their time and to provide entertainment to children, but also to boost learning and development. These toys provide firm foundation for learning and education, thereby giving children a good start early in life.

Despite the existence of millions of toys and games in the market, the values they provide remain the same. By nature, children are inquisitive and curious and giving them the right toys to touch and to play everyday can keep little tykes interest all day. If you do not furnish them toys to keep them busy, they will amuse themselves by cutting, folding, tearing things. Because of their curious nature, you should keep all the dangerous things inside your house, like staples, scissors, pencils and important files. The best way to keep them busy is to provide them with the right toys to play with.

To boost their learning capacity, it is the responsibility of parents to give their children the right educational toys.

Benefits of educational toys to children:

    * Innovativeness and creativity - When playing with toys and games, they can develop perception, intuition and reasoning. By giving them the right toys, they learn to draw, to paint, to use crayons, to use a pair of scissors and many more. By playing with educational craft materials at an early age, they become creative and they explore their creativity by drawing different shapes and sizes or by cutting things out of paper.

    * Cognitive skills - These toys can help them connect to their thought process and can develop their capabilities to think freely. Toys which help children boost their cognitive skills include puzzles and number games.

    * Motor skills - With the right toys and games, they can develop their motor skills along with their cognitive skills.

    * Fun and enjoyment - If your child enjoys the toys he plays, he will keep playing the game. Enjoyment is an essential component when choosing a toy or a game for your child. Make it a point to consider his interest when buying a toy for him.

    * Soft skills - By giving them a well-guided play, they can develop softer skills like:
          o Social activities - By mingling and interacting with other children, they learn social values, principles and sentiments.
          o Language skills - When they play with language-based educational toys, they are quick to learn fundamental language skills.
          o Emotional development - They learn to face situations, like losing a game to a friend or winning a game. By exposing them early to real-life situations like this, you can help them grow emotionally. They learn to accept challenges, to overcome them and to gain mental strength.

Because of the invaluable things, practices and lessons children learn from play, parents should give them the right educational toys suitable for their age and interest.

William G. Steinmetz enjoys writing for Targettossgames.com which sells cornhole game and washer toss game as well as a host of additional products.

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