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Make the Most of Your Money 看紧钱包有妙招

详细资料: 创建于 2009年6月12日; 最后更新于 2024年5月25日; 发布于 2012年11月03日; 作者：Mike Lee; 点击数：235

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Some ways to help young people correct bad financial habits 帮助年轻人改正用钱坏习惯的秘诀

While parents may understand the dollars-and-cents realities of spending sprees and sloppy money management skills, teenagers and young 20-something may need some serious financial perspective.

即使做家长的自己清楚得很，花钱毫无节制、疏于理财（译注：直译为粗心大意的理财技巧）的后果，最后一定禁不起分分毫毫斤斤计较的金钱现实面考验，可是青少年和二十出头的年轻人却需要认真培养金钱观。

Here are five ways to help inexperienced young consumers avoid money troubles and become financially savvier.

以下共有五种方式，能帮助对理财没概念的年轻消费者，避免发生财务问题，而且更懂得理财。

1, Monitor spending 监控掌握用钱情形

If your college student or high schooler is having trouble keeping track of money, this can turn into a lifelong bad habit. The best way to break this practice is to create a budget. Help your child determine his monthly income from allowance or a job, and then identify regular expenses for gasoline, entertainment, clothing and other costs. If your student has a checking account, require it to be balanced every month (or every paycheck) to ensure spending does not exceed income.

如果你家小孩是大学生或高中生，不懂得记账来掌握金钱流向，就有可能逐渐养成终身受害的坏习惯，若想制止这种习性，最好的做法就是设定预算。从旁协助你的孩子计算出零用钱或薪水等每月收入，然后逐一检视油钱、休闲、治装和其他花费等固定支出。如果你还是学生身分的孩子，自己有户头的话，可以要求账户每个月都结存一次（或是每次有薪水入账，都结存一次），这样就能确保不至于入不敷出。

2, Use those gift cards 善用礼物卡

Many youngsters receive gift cards galore as holiday presents. Don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them. That could be costly, because some gift cards have expiration dates and fees. The best advice: Know the rules about the gift card and spend it promptly – down to the last penny.

每逢佳节来临，很多年轻人往往会收到别人馈赠的礼物卡（译注：类似储值卡，卡片上储值一定金额，收到卡片者可以使用来购物），但可别把卡片随便塞进抽屉里，之后就忘得一干二净，这样做的代价不菲，因为有些礼物卡不但有使用期限，使用时可能还会被扣除一些费用（译注：例如有些发卡公司会扣除额外的服务费，或未能在某期限内使用完，还必须再扣除一定金额作为惩罚）。因此最佳忠告便是：务必弄清楚礼物卡的各项规定，并尽快花完，一毛都不要剩。

3, Scrutinize credit card statements 详查信用卡账单

Keep track of receipts after credit card purchases and make sure the information corresponds with what’s on the monthly statement.

使用信用卡购物后，请保留收据，而且一定要确认收据上的明细和每月收到的信用卡账单上的细项相符。

I’m all too familiar with mystery charges appearing on my credit card statement. In my most recent bill, for example, three charges amounting to about $20 worth of children’s books and software didn’t look familiar. Turns out, my credit card had been compromised. Fortunately, I caught the bogus charges, alerted my bank and contacted the three merchants to have my name and account information removed from their files. I’m continuing to monitor this closely.

我实在太清楚这种情况了，因为我的信用卡账单上有时也会平白冒出几笔神秘的帐款来。比方说，我最近一次的账单中，就凭空出现三笔金额约廿美元左右的帐款，包括了童书和软件，但这些东西看起来根本不眼熟。结果原来是，我的信卡帐户数据被盗用了，所幸我及时揪出了这些假帐款，也知会银行，并联系那三个商家把我的名字和帐户数据从他们的档案中移除，而且至今我仍持续密切监控此事。

The lesson: Don’t assume financial statements and bills are correct. Mistakes happen, but there are also a lot of bad people out there.

需要学习的宝贵功课是：别想当然耳认定财务窗体和账单一定就不会错。错误难免会发生，而且外头坏人很多。

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More Information

dollars-and-cents 纯经济的 considered or expressed in terms of money or profits

spending spree 拼命花钱; 花钱如流水 a brief period of extravagant spending

sloppy [ˋslɑpɪ] adj. 草率的; 【口】懒散的

savvy [ˋsævɪ] adj. 精明的; 有见识的

keep track of 了解...的动态(或线索); 记录 to continue to be informed or know about someone or something

allowance [əˋlaʊəns] n. 零用钱

balance [ˋbæləns] v. 结算；使收支平衡; n. （钱款的）剩余部分

expiration date 到期日，截止期

promptly [ˋprɑmptlɪ] adv. 及时地; 准时地

correspond with 符合

correspond [͵kɔrɪˋspɑnd] v. 符合，一致[（+to/with）]

compromise [ˋkɑmprə͵maɪz] v. (名誉等的)损害，连累，危及

assume [əˋsjum] v.（想当然地）认为[+（that）]

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4, Dodge Internet rip-offs 预防网络诈骗

This just in: Many con artists use the Internet to reach into our children’s wallets. While I think many older children are smart enough to see through most of these scams. There are new swindlers online every day.

最新消息是：有很多诈骗者都透过网络把手伸进我们子女的荷包里。虽然我认为年纪较大的孩子应该会蛮聪明的，会看穿大部分诈骗伎俩，但网络上每天都会冒出新的诈骗者，案例会层出不穷的。

Make sure your children know the warning signs, including unrealistic claims about a product or investment, and requests for account information or up-front payments. Being vigilant about protecting information like bank accounts doesn’t require a degree in nuclear physics. Just remember, one false step could lead to financial damage.

一定要让孩子知道，哪些情况是可疑的警讯，包括了别人对某样产品或投资有不实的索费情形，或是有人要求提供帐户数据或预付款项等等。为了保护包括银行帐户等信息而随时保持警戒，不需要有核物理学位就能办到。切记，踏错一步就可能会导致财务危机。

5, Free means $8? 免费代表要收八美元？

Free, free, free. That word was plastered all over the website that my daughter was recently looking at while searching for ringtones for her cell phone. The site promotes a special offer of “99 cents per month for 12 months of unlimited free downloads,” with the first four months being “totally free.”

免费、免费，通通免费。我女儿最近常上去找手机铃声的网站上，就贴满了这个词。这个网址狂推「每月只要零点九九美元就能连续十二个月无限免费下载」，而前四个月更是「完全免费」。

What am I missing? Even with the four free months, there’s still an $8 charge for the remainder of the year. The lesson: Get past the sales pitch, read the fine print and understand what you’re buying.

我是不是漏看了哪个字啊？因为即使前四个月免费，一年其余的几个月份仍然要收费八美元。这当中所学到的宝贵功课就是：别轻信口若悬河的推销伎俩，一定要睁大眼睛一字不漏地看清楚（译注：fine print指极小的字体，词组read the fine print指一字不漏地详细看清楚），要了解自己究竟买到了什么。

Plastic perils 塑料货币：是祸不是福

Here are some tips from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service to help young credit card users in trouble:

以下是「消费者信用咨询服务中心」提供的秘诀，能帮助陷入困境的年轻信用卡用户：

Stop using credit cards. Cut up your cards, or put them in the freezer. Before any purchases, ask yourself, “Do I really need this? Can I pay for it with cash?” If the answer is no to either question, skip the purchase. 不要再使用信用卡，把卡剪断，或是干脆放到冷冻库里。买任何东西之前，先问问自己：「我真的需要这个东西吗？我有能力用现金购买吗？」如果两个问题的答案都是否定的，就应该不要买这项商品。
Resist the temptation of credit card offers. Shred the offers without opening them. Also, request that your name and credit information not be provided to financial institutions. 要努力抗拒信用卡优惠活动的诱惑，根本不要打开看那些活动文宣，立刻撕掉。此外，主动要求对方不要把你的姓名和信用卡信息提供给其他金融机构。
Create a repayment plan. Look at your credit card debt and make a plan for how you will pay off the balances. Locate a credit counselor for help. 订定还款计划，察看自己的信用卡债，制定逐步清偿的计划。向信用卡顾问求助。

−by Steve Rosen

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