Smart Money Smart Kids - Raising Money-Smart KidsSample

Day 01: Fight for Your Kid's Heart

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Growing up my parents were determined to teach us God's way of handling our money. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise because Dave Ramsey is my dad. It's still a little crazy for me to stop and realize that all the books and tools and principles that people have used to take control of their money over the years started in our living room.

See, our family was the very first family to experience the “Ramsey Plan.” But looking back, I'm so glad that my parents were determined to give my siblings and me a legacy of debt-free living. It's absolutely one of the best gifts parents can give their kids.

But it doesn't come easy. In fact, it's a battle.

So many things are trying to distract your kids today and pull them off course. And, as a parent, you've got the God-given responsibility to teach them the right way to live in every area of life-including how they handle their money.

In Proverbs, Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said the key to making that happen is to guard our hearts. The idea is to protect or preserve something that's incredibly valuable. It's like an armed guard watching over a vault in a bank or a priceless treasure in a museum. Why such a vivid picture? Because everything in life flows from a single source: the heart.

And when you're protecting your heart, you're protecting your life.

Our culture has its own agenda when it comes to money. Your kids are part of the most marketed-to generation in history, and the messages they are hearing focus on instant gratification and materialism. They could be overwhelmed by a desire for more stuff, unless you teach them to guard their hearts.

For the next several days, we're going to look at some practical ways to guard your kids' hearts. We'll see what the Bible says about things like working, spending, saving and giving.

We'll also talk about stuff like debt and contentment.

We want to help you raise money-smart kids, the kind of kids who will become incredible adults.

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My book Smart Money Smart Kids, co-written by Dave Ramsey, will give you advice on raising money-smart kids.