I thought this was useful, especially read in tandem with "The Opposite of Spoiled." "Spoiled" is written by a financial journalist, and isn't written as a how-to--it's more a discussion of the issues and includes examples of what some families are doing. This one gets into specific recommendations on introducing kids to money, savings, giving, and how that can look at different ages.

Their suggestions make sense to me:

1. Pay kids 3-5 years old a "commission" for doing certain jobs around the house. (Note: I don't care as much about the "allowance vs commission" semantic argument Ramsey and Cruze make, but I do agree that it's smart to teach kids from the get-go that money comes from work.)

2. At 6+, up the jobs & introduce the concept of splitting earnings into spending, saving, and giving envelopes.

3. At 14, help them open a checking account and teach them how to use a debit card, write checks, and keep a budget. Consider depositing the money for monthly expenses like school lunches, school clothes, activity fees, etc. in there so it becomes their responsibility. The idea is that by the time they leave home, you know they can handle money and live within a budget.

They talk a LOT about college debt and how insane it has become, and recommend you avoid it at all costs. They recommend being up-front about what you can/will contribute and guide your child to choose a college he or she can afford to graduate from debt-free (which can mean starting at a community college, or going to a good state school, or a private school on scholarships, whatever). Some of the stories they tell about student loan debt, and others from people I've heard call in to the Dave Ramsey show, have made me a believer. It seems that the landscape is VERY different than it was when I was in school, so I'm not as "hey, that's what student loans are for" as I used to be.