Although there aren’t always hard and fast allowance rules, the ideal time to start giving an allowance to your child is at the beginning of the school year. An allowance teaches discipline and responsibility, forcing kids to think about choices and consequences. It’s also a great tool for math, money management and saving for the future. When these skills are applied to children’s schoolwork, you may actually see improved grades, an increased desire to learn, and greater confidence.

What is the best age for starting an allowance?
You may have seen or heard a variety of answers to this question, including comments that most money experts agree that preschoolers are too young to have an allowance because they don’t fully understand the concept of money. Once kids are in school and begin learning about dollars and cents and buying and selling, they likely have a much better idea of what it means to spend money from their own stash versus having mom or dad pay. Because you know your child better than anyone else, however, you are best-qualified person to decide the age at which your son or daughter is ready to be paid.

News flash: A college education is expensive. Have you heard that before? While this is probably old news, tuitions rose again during the last school year, 2010 to 2011. There seems to be no end in sight and, as a result, college savings plans have never been more critical.

Highest Attendance Costs Continued to Increase
Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, NY, continued to hold the top spot in annual tuition, fees, room, and board with a 2.9 percent increase to $57,384 per school year. Landmark College (Putney, Vt.), Columbia, Wesleyan, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown followed with annual costs in excess of $53,500 to attend. In many cases, the most expensive universities had one-year cost increases of more than 4 percent.

Many of the most common household products contain toxic chemicals that can be harmful to our children. In fact, according to a study published in Pediatrics magazine, over a period of 16 years (1990 to 2006) more than 250,000 children under the age of five were rushed to the emergency room for treatment after exposure to toxic products. The vast majority of those children were under the age of three.

Dangerous household products can include:

• Dishwasher detergents
• Bleach
• Toilet bowl cleaners
• Drain cleaners
• Laundry detergents
• Floor and furniture polish
• Paints
• Pesticides

As with all other savings accounts, the savings rates between college savings accounts can vary, but, with the ever-rising cost of college tuition, you’ll need to find a college savings account that yields significantly above the rate of inflation if you want your “today’s” dollars to grow enough to afford tomorrow’s education. Figuring out which accounts have the best savings rates obviously makes financial sense, but where do you start?

Controlling your weight with a new baby around can seem impossible, but shedding those final pregnancy pounds is actually easier than you think. To lose fat, tone up, and increase your energy levels, just follow these five easy weight control tips for new moms

• Catch more zzz’s. There’s no such thing as “enough” sleep when there’s a new baby in the house, but you should stock up when you can. Lack of sleep stresses the body, which means you’ll hold on to more fat. To help shed the pounds, nap anytime your baby does – your waistline will thank you.