Give Your Teen the Gift of Smart Money Management this Holiday Season

Providence, RI – Junior Achievement is presenting its recommendations for the 2012 holiday shopping season, and following them won’t require waiting in lines at midnight.

Though Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals may still be plentiful, JA is encouraging other forms of giving this year to prepare teens for college, to be workforce ready and have a financially secure future. Parents and family members can:

• Make donations to teens’ college funds;

• Purchase savings bonds in teens’ names, or;

• Give gifts essential for college, like laptops, printers or USB drives

“The holiday season is an opportunity to spend time with loved ones,” said Lee Lewis, president of Junior Achievement of Rhode Island. “It’s also the perfect opportunity to talk to teens about the tools they need to be successful as they embark on their education, careers and build their own memories with family and friends.”

Junior Achievement reaches 10,561 students annually in kindergarten through high school. It offers a broad array of resources for parents to help prepare their teens for their fiscal futures, including college savings calculators and Junior Achievement $ave, USA, which offers a suite of materials about talking to teens about money management and financial literacy.

A recent Rand poll showed more teens are saving for clothes than for college and the National Retail Federation has projected holiday shoppers will maintain conservative budgets as the economy continues to recover. JA recognizes an ideal time to embrace the holiday spirit and set teens on the path for college success, workforce readiness and financial security.

(Junior Achievement $ave, USA link: www.ja.org/programs/programs_save_usa_materials.shtml)

About Junior Achievement Rhode Island (JA)

Junior Achievement is the state's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on, experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 7 percent of the Rhode Island student population per year in more than 26 communities across Rhode Island. Visit http://jarhodeisland.org for more information or connect with us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/juniorachievementri.