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Copywriting Sample
Example of work Scott Salwolke did as a direct marketing copywriter for a family magazine.
Teaching Saving - Kids Can Learn the Value of a Dollar
by Scott Salwolke
DJ Deardorff has experience working with other people on money matters. In fact, he's an employee at American Trust and Savings Bank. Yet, when it came to teaching his kids about money he had some reservations. Just how old did the kids have to be for the lessons to take?
 “My wife and I starting teaching my oldest son Tyler when he began attending school,” said Deardorff. “The teachers would teach the kids about the different coins in school, so I thought that was a perfect time to start. I noticed the more we talked about it with our kids, the more interested they became.”
Some might argue it’s harder than ever to teach a child about money. After all, when parents need money, they simply go to the ATM machine. To a child this seems like a money machine. Deardorff, however, thinks things haven't changed that much.
“I don't think it is any harder than in the past. Kids are still influenced by decisions their parents make, and more likely to do the same as them in the future. If parents or grandparents for that matter, spend excessive money on toys, clothes, cars, whatever it may be, kids will grow up thinking they can do the same.
“I truly believe parents need to start teaching kids to appreciate what they have, instead of worrying if their child has the fanciest shoes, or the coolest car.”
Many financial institutions have set up programs to help parents teach their kids about money. Dupaco offers its DoPack program, which is an acronym for Doing Positive Actions for Kids. Kids receive incentives to put money into a savings account.
“The whole idea of the program is to get children to understand the value of money,” explains Joe Hearn. “The program also teaches children about giving back to the community.”
Fidelity Bank, like most lending institutions, offers a similar program.
“These kids clubs are designed to create good habits in kids early,” explains Nancy Dunkel of Fidelity Bank. “We know from experience that when kids learn about the value of saving early, they become good money managers as adults.”
Deardorff has his children learning the value of saving money.
“We do the same as many parents, giving them an allowance. But they have to earn it. We keep it simple, such as bringing in the garbage cans and putting their clothes away in their dressers. We make them put half of their allowance in the bank, the other half we leave up to them if they want to spend or save it.”
Another way to get a child to understand money is to have them save up for a toy they want.
“This is an excellent opportunity for a child to learn,” said Hearn. “Explain to them the cost of the item, and then begin having them set money aside until they can purchase the item. This also teaches them about long term goals.”
Still the lure of candy can sometimes be too much for some children. Instill in them that getting a candy bar today means waiting that much longer for the toy they want. When they are close to reaching their goal, don't suddenly lend them the balance in order to get the toy early. It defeats the whole purpose of the learning experience.
Another potential learning opportunity is bill paying. Have children see the bills for electricity, the internet, and the satellite provider. Get them to understand these items aren't free. That leaving lights on when no is home is a waste of money. And if parents are still struggling with their lessons, there is always the Internet.
“There are a lot of good web sites that help parents teach their children,” said Kunkel. “One of the best is the F.D.I.C.'s website (www.fdic.gov). Another site I'd recommend is moneyfactory.com.”
Tri-State Family Magazine July 2006
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