Dollars and sense for kids as young as three

Children usually start counting from that age and can make simple choices, so it is an apt time to help them cultivate good money management habits

- Jane Ng

Instead of sending her children for art or dance lessons when they were young, mum-of-three Stella Hoh sent them for classes to learn financial skills like money management and budgeting.

Her youngest son, Ku Yu Heng, now 16, was just 10 when he attended his first lesson.

Ms Hoh, 50, a trainer in real estate investing, went to Guangzhou, China, to attend a mentorship programme and decided to sign him up for a financial literacy camp there for children.

She did not think he would gain much from it because of the language barrier as he does not take Chinese language in school, but he surprised her by taking out a calculator to work out prices when she took him shopping after that.

"That's when I realised he did learn something and he understood the value of money," says Ms Hoh. She has another son aged 19 and a daughter aged 21 with her husband Daniel Ku, 51, a trainer in property development.

In the course of Ms Hoh's work as a trainer, she has met adults who have little knowledge about money management or investments, and decided to start her children's financial education early. They started taking courses from as young as 10.

"I feel it's of great importance as we didn't learn this in school. It's important for them to start young to make wise decisions in life, be responsible for their choices and not be overwhelmed by greed," she says.

Over the years, her children have attended a range of courses, including business and speaking classes, as well as industry mentorship programmes.