From pocket money to portfolios: How parents can raise financially confident children

Children can gradually learn that money does not have to sit unused; it can be put to work. [iStockphoto]

“Can I have this one too?” is a familiar question for many parents when shopping with their children.

At some point, most of us have had to explain that choosing one thing means leaving another behind. It may feel like an ordinary parenting moment, but it is also an early lesson in financial decision-making: money is limited, choices have consequences, and sometimes we have to wait for what we want.