Here is a summary of the responses:

• 76% said NO! Parents do not owe their children a paid-for college education.
• 24% said YES! Parents owe their children a paid-for college education.

In fact, many people were more than a little “bothered” (read: absolutely frustrated) by the use of the word “owe”.

Here are a few of the TONS of comments that I wanted to share with you:

Those who said YES! Parents owe their children a paid-for college education.

• “I think parents should pay for their children’s education, I guess I don’t like the word owe.”
• “College is right up their with providing other needs such as medical, dental. Parents should PLAN for college/technical education for their children.”
• “My mom and daddy paid for my college degree. I graduated with no school debt which made looking for a job in a rough economy a lot less stressful because I did not have worry about loans.”
• “Start NOW! What a great thing for your kids to not be burdened with college debt!”

Those who said NO! Parents do NOT owe their children a paid-for college education.

• “I want to be able to help my child with their education, but it is by now means something I owe them.”
• “I feel that parents should give their childern guidance and a help entering college. This may mean financial assistance the first year which is often overwhelming academically and socially.   It will mean more to the child to earn their own way.   Often, the child will work harder and be more responsible. My in-laws took a different approach with my wife.   She had to pay her first year and they funded the rest of her education.”
• “It’s been my experience that kids who pay for their own college education are less likely to “goof off” or be lazy in college.   They take their education more seriously and tend to appreciate it much.   Also, if they work their way through school rather do 100% of it through student loans, they develop a good, strong work ethic.”
• “Parents don’t owe it, but it should be a priority for them to save for their children’s education.   We have saved to pay 100% of tuition and room and board for our children’s education and hope it is a great blessing to them.   They have also worked hard to obtain scholarships knowing that we have worked hard to provide this for them.   Next year, with two kids in college, we will have $0 debt/student loans, but $30,900 in academic scholarships.”
• “I was responsible for books and living expenses, but at no point and time did I think that my parents owed me an education.   My dad said that he would pay for 4 years.   After that I was on my own.”   Note from Sangl: This was my personal favorite response.

I was OVERWHELMED by your participation in this survey!   We literally had HUNDREDS of people respond and write us paragraphs of great thoughts!

Read recent posts

One of the largest financial challenges faced by many young people today is the cost of higher education.   College expenses have continued to increase at nearly twice the rate of inflation.   This has led to many graduates owing an entire year of salary (or even two or three year’s worth) in student loan debt!   In many cases, these young people are repaying student loan debt equivalent to a home mortgage.

Parents can position their children to financially succeed by paying for their education – whether it is vocational school, technical college, or university.   After all, there is an 18 year notification that a child is going to be headed to college.   BUT education is very expensive, and there are so many items competing for our money.

Some people say that parents OWE their children a paid-for education.   Others say that their children should pay for it themselves.

I want to hear your thoughts!   Please share them in the quick 15-second survey below (or click HERE if you can’t see it).

Read recent posts

But I need your help!   Especially from those of you who have already raised children who have proven to be RESPONSIBLE with their finances.

How have you taught your children about money?   Please share with me in the form below!   If you can’t see the form, click HERE.

Read recent posts

However, there are some requests that she has made that are less ridiculous.  For example, she has wanted a treehouse for quite some time.  I promised her for her birthday (back in November) that I would build her one.

I told her that not only would I build her one, I said that it would be AWESOME and that we could camp out in it if she wanted.  She thought that this was the best idea she has ever heard.

In December, there was no tree house yet.  Not even a sign of it.  I told her that I would get started in January.

I did.  I put posts in the ground and put the floor on it.  Then it sat for awhile.

I won't bore you with all of the details, but it was finally completed last week.  We now have a treehouse that is over seven feet in the air, has three windows, a door, electrical power run to it (via extension cord), a fan in the window, and a front porch.  In all it is nearly 100 sq ft of awesome space that she and her friends are having a great time with.

And last Saturday night, I made good on the camping out promise.  It was so awesome that we camped out there again on Monday night – this time with one of her friends.  We got to experience an awesome lightning show and torrential rain this time.

The treehouse cost us money, time, effort, and some serious frustration, but the end result is worth it!

It feels great to have kept a promise.

Have you made some promises that are yet to be fulfilled?  Will those promises cost money?  Are you actively saving money for them?

Read recent posts

This type of article is why I get up FIRED UP and PUMPED UP to do what I do.  I am passionate about helping people make GREAT decisions with their financial resources so that their children can be PROUD of how their parents managed their "stuff".

Read recent posts

So without further delay, the new book will be focused on teaching high school students:

12 Things I Wish I Had Learned About Money Before I Hit The Real World

It is our passion to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances.  In I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. (and its related Group Study), I told my story of walking out of financial disarray, and I teach the tools we used to become debt-free.  It is mostly focused on providing a cure for an existing negative financial situation.

In this new resource, we are focusing on prevention of negative financial situations.  I know that I went through twenty years of formal education (13 years of K-12, 4 years of undergrad, 3 years of grad) and I had exactly zero classes on personal finances.  It is my hope that we can provide a resource that can be utilized in schools and in churches to teach high school students how to manage their financial resources well.

We need YOU!  We want to hear YOUR stories.  Share with us the things that you wish you had learned about money before you hit the real world.  Join the conversation and share YOUR stories on the "I Was Broke. Now I'm Not." Facebook Group HERE.

Not a member of the "I Was Broke. Now I'm Not." Facebook Group?  Click HERE to join!

Yes.  That is my daughter reading a copy of my book.  Very humbling.

Flash forward a few nights.  I go upstairs and see my daughter lying in bed reading the book some more.  Here is the conversation.

Me  You reading the book again?

Her  Yeah.  I think it is so funny how you had so much debt and Mom did not.

Me  You think that is funny?

Her  Yes!  You caused all of the debt problems.

Me  Yes I did.  But I stopped spending money, and we became debt-free.

Her  Yeah, but you still caused all of the debt problems.  That's funny!

It was so humbling, but I am so FIRED UP that I was able to say the "we became debt-free" part!

Yes, honey, Dad messed up with money, but I woke up one day, shouted "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!", and we marched out of debt and into financial freedom.

Melea, that is why Dad is on a crusade.  I am on a crusade to help as many people as I can get out of their financial mess and achieve financial freedom.

• Live like no one else.
• Debt is normal.  Be weird.
• Act your wage!
• Debt free & lovin' it!

Well, there was a surprise one there this morning.

The new one was put there by my daughter!  I want to CRY!  Melea is only seven years old, and SHE GETS IT!

Have YOU gotten it yet?

A new series on GIVING starts tomorrow at www.JosephSangl.com!

Read recent posts by Joe

Subscribe for FREE to www.JosephSangl.com

Step ONE:  YOU have the primary responsibility for teaching your children about money!

I have more influence on my daughter's money management skills than any other.  What I teach her will have a direct impact on her life and generations to follow! 

Step TWO:  Walk The Talk

Live it out loud.  My goal is to show Melea that everything I am teaching her is relevant and can be practically applied to her life. 

Step THREE:  Provide opportunities for your children to learn about money

A $18 lesson at age five can prevent an $18,000 lesson at age 20.  Which one would you choose? 

Step FOUR:  Teach the Key Principles!

I have negelected my parental duties if I don't teach Melea the lessons I teach thousands of others every year! 

Step FIVE:  This is a PROCESS not a one-time conversation.

This is not a one-time conversation.  Learning is a process.  It happens over time.  With multiple conversations.  With both good and bad attitudes.  In different situations.  It is intentional.

What Jenn and I have taught Melea so far has been intentional.  We plan on keeping it that way.  As we approach the next 11 years of her life with us, Melea will be taught many more financial and life lessons.

To wrap up this series, I thought I would share some of the lessons that are upcoming for her.  Some are new and some are continuations of lessons already in progress.

• God is the owner.  We are managers.  We are teaching Melea that everything we have is from God.  Luke 16:10 resounds through my head.  There is a good potential for Melea to be left with a great inheritance (something the Bible says we should do – Proverbs 13:22 says that "a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children".  If we don't teach her to be a great manager, her life could be ruined by the inheritance!!!
• Giving and saving are top priorities.  This lesson is already in process, but it will continue to be reinforced.  There is nothing more satisfying than giving to a worthy cause and saving money for God-given hopes and dreams.
• The fundamental business concept of "profit".  It is amazing how many business owners forget this concept!  Melea will know this concept forward and backward!
• It is OK to wait to make a purchase.  Debt is not worth the immediate gratification.  The gratification will go away, but the debt will visit monthly.  This WILL make me turn in my grave!
• Learn the most powerful word in the English language – NO!  Already in progress on this lesson!  It is so important to have self-control.

That's it!  I hope that this series has helped you gain a few ideas on training your children about money.

Question Of The Day:  What ideas have you put into practice as a result of this series?

Read Joe's recent blog posts

Another story of life-change was released on the podcast today!  Have you listened to the Podcast from Joe?  To subscribe to the podcast using iTunes, click HERE.  If you do not have iTunes, you can download an mp3 by clicking HERE.

Step ONE:  YOU have the primary responsibility for teaching your children about money!

It is MY responsibility to train my daughter.  Not the schools (although they could at least teach a few classes about it!) and definitely NOT the marketers! 

Step TWO:  Walk The Talk

It is MY responsibility to live out what I teach my daughter.  No one has more influence on my daughter's education than Jenn and I! 

Step THREE:  Provide opportunities for your children to learn about money

Melea has to learn the lessons – both good and bad – about money.  The sooner she starts learning the bad ones, the sooner she will adopt the good ones!!!

Step FOUR:  Teach the Key Principles!

Anyone who has taken the Financial Freedom Class that I teach knows the Four Key Principles by heart.  They are taught at the beginning of every single class – all five of the sessions.  You can actually watch me teach these four key principles at NewSpring Church (High-speed internet only – does not work well with Amish internet!)

KP #1:  There is POWER when you work TOGETHER on finances.  Melea's husband (hurts me to even write this – I am going to go cry now!!!!) will know how to manage finances, and they will work together to win!  The preacher pronounces you "as one" and that applies to finances as well.

KP #2:  Avoid the DEBT TRAP.  Debt is a wealth-killer!  I remember the day that Melea borrowed a dollar from Grandma to buy something at Wal-Mart.  I said, "Oh my, Melea, you are in DEBT!  You are in DEBT to Grandma!!!"  She got so wigged out that she almost cried!  You may think I am mean.  I would say it is CRUEL to let her think debt is her friend or good!!!!

KP #3:  Have a PLAN for your life.  This creates the REASON for you to plan your finances!  Melea has a plan for her life already.  She wants to be a veterinarian, move to San Diego, work for the San Diego Zoo, and live in the round hotel.  Now, this might change (I will have a lot of frequent-flyer miles if this holds up!), but she has a plan!

KP #4:  Have FUN managing money TOGETHER!  It is not all about investing every single dollar.  It is not all about living in a refrigerator box.  The whole reason that we all want to win with money is so we can accomplish our God-given hopes and dreams!  I teach this to Melea every single day.  By the way, forsaking a high-paying corporate job to go to work for a church and moving nine hours away from family is a pretty good way to show her that God-given hopes and dreams can be accomplished!  Look at what this crusade is helping folks do!!!  FUN!

Question Of The Day:  Have you had a conversation about money with your kids this week?

Read Joe's recent blog posts

Looking for additional Personal Finance Resources?  You can obtain free tools by clicking HERE and purchase books/materials by clicking HERE.

SUBSCRIBE to www.JosephSangl.com and get your financial information delivered to you!