Children’s finances: make sure you don’t have to go ‘back to the future’

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So, it’s almost 21 October 2015.

If you’re a thirty-something and it’s your birthday, then many happy returns!

“Thanks very much” you may reply. “But what’s so remarkable about me and this particular date?”

Great Scott! You’re not a fan of the ‘Back to the Future’ films then?

Those who are fans of the hugely popular 80s trilogy starring Michael J Fox know that 21 October 2015 is the day in the future Marty McFly and his friend Dr Emmett “Doc” Brown travel to from 1985.

They’re travelling forward in time because Marty has got wind that all is not well in the lives of his future kids and he wants to see how he can change things to get their lives back on track.

If you have young kids I’m sure you’ll agree it’s better to get the foundations for their future well-being sorted in the here-and-now so there will be no need for you to jump into a DeLorean time machine and go ‘back to the future’ to sort out the mess they’ve made.

Of course a key bedrock for your kids’ welfare is helping them get off to a good start in life – and that’s where we come in. We have a range of investment plans for adults and kids on our website, along with some informative blogs to help parents, grandparents, other family members and friends find out how they can help their kids’ future finances by putting money aside now.

A lump sum could help the kids in your life with some of the key events in their early adult lives – whether university fees, the deposit for their first house, a car, starting a business or even helping support them on a gap year.

But it’s not just the physical provision of hard cash that’s going to help your kids’ future finances.

Set a great example to your kids by showing them the benefits of financial planning. It’s important to ensure that they’re well versed in personal finance matters as they grow up. Schools are now taking more of a role here, but ultimately, how you manage money is one of the most important influences on how your child will deal with it in adult life.

This useful guide from the Money Advice Centre is a good place to start.

Scottish Friendly offers stocks and shares investments, the value of which can go down as well as up and you or the child may not get back the amount originally invested.








The information provided in this article was accurate at the time of publishing and should be read in the context of the date it was published. Views in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the view of Scottish Friendly. No advice has been provided by Scottish Friendly. If you are in any doubt as to whether a savings or investment plan is suitable for you, you should contact a financial adviser for advice. If you do not have a financial adviser, you can get details of local financial advisers by visiting www.unbiased.co.uk. Advisers may charge for providing such advice and should confirm any cost beforehand.