For years, each of the 50 states had its own ideas about what kids should be taught from kindergarten up through 12th grade.

The result: a hodgepodge of standards and guidelines that differed each time you crossed into another state's border.

In 2010, when the Common Core State Standards --...

I recently wrapped up my service as the only financial journalist asked by President Obama in 2010 to serve on the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability.

In our meeting with the president at the White House a few weeks ago, the Council delivered our final report. One...

How do we get our children to pay attention to what really matters when they are surrounded by so much stuff? That was my question in my last blog post.

I was inspired a few months ago by someone who gave me the answer. After Hurricane Sandy hit...

As a parent, you're not alone if you find yourself in shock and awe over all the stuff your kids possess. I mean seriously, would you ever have imagined having that much when you were a kid?

I'm not just talking BlackBerries, iPhones, and DROIDs. Nor am I simply targeting...

What are the common mistakes parents make when teaching their kids about money -- often without realizing it?

Hmmmmmm. How much time do you have?

Seriously, though, I find this question particularly interesting, mostly because we parents tend to adopt well-meaning rules and theories about the "best approaches" to all...

After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, I was surprised to learn that homeowner's insurance didn't cover much of the damage. I dug into the topic for a series on NPR and learned that the government's National Flood Insurance Program is subsidized by the government at an average cost of $600...

He had...

In my last blog, I talked about old-school allowance, both the pitfalls my husband and I saw with our system for our three kids and the solution we eventually worked out. (Thank goodness for spreadsheets!)

But there's a new twist on allowance that has emerged over the past...

Around our house, we're big fans of the TV show Modern Family. So when I read recently that each of the four kids on the show would be getting $70,000 per episode, it was fun to speculate about what the child stars would spend their money on.

All I could...

Does it work to coax kids into getting good grades by offering them cash incentives?

In this final installment of my three-part series (see part 1 and part 2), I wanted to delve into the research to see if we know what really works.

Specifically, would...

Money, for sure, is a great motivator. The topic of paying kids for good grades, however, is controversial. Some parents say it's akin to bribery. Others insist it's similar to handing out annual bonuses for a job well done; it's just an additional incentive to motivate you to work hard.

At my friend's parent-teacher meeting to discuss her eighth-grade son, the teacher made a wacky recommendation: my friend should consider bribery to motivate him to work harder in school.

I'm not kidding.

The educator's rationale: Preteen boys (and some girls, I'd imagine) are all about instant gratification, and one of...

Maybe it's just me, but I get pretty sad around this time of year.

Of course, if I really thought about it, I should be celebrating: In just 24 hours and 7 minutes, my three kids will be heading back to school (but who's counting?).

As summer comes to a close, it's time to open your wallet for back-to-school shopping. (Insert groans here.)

During the second biggest shopping event of the year, families will spend about $689, up 14 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

And even though 85 percent of...

Imagine this: Your teenager applies for her first credit card or student loan -- and she's denied. Turns out, her identity was stolen years ago, and she's thousands of dollars in debt.

Child identity theft is more common than you think. One out of every 10 kids is a victim,...

Parents constantly tell me how hard it is to talk with their kids about money. But until I read a new survey on the topic, I had no idea how bad the problem really is. It turns out, parents would rather talk with their children about notoriously tricky subjects like...

From a kid's perspective, pro athletes are often heroes, and it's easy to see why: they jump the highest, run the fastest, throw the hardest, and they're multi-millionaires to boot. But that millionaire status often doesn't last long. A few years ago, Sports Illustrated estimated that nearly four...

It's almost Father's Day! Like many of you, when I'm confronted with racks of saccharine greeting cards at the drugstore, I'm reminded that none of them can come close to capturing the way my dad has influenced my life.

He was born in 1929 -- just months before the...

President Obama's endorsement of marriage equality was a thrilling moment in the history of LGBT rights, but until his support is echoed by the Supreme Court, same-sex couples need to be vigilant about their finances -- and be prepared for extra paperwork. Here's a simple checklist to review:

Location: Know...

On Thursday I attended the first-ever White House Summit on Financial Capability and Empowerment. This event was yet more evidence that President Obama has done more than any president before him to advance financial knowledge in this country -- particularly among the young, who were well represented in...