My little rant on secured credit cards
* Show them that something isn't a bargain if they don't need it. It's human nature to jump on a deal. But it's penny wise, pound foolish. Teach your teenager by your own example that buying only what you need, not what you might conceivably need at some point in the unforeseeable future, is the best way to spend. This will not only inoculate them against bad student credit cards' offers, it will improve their spending habits and lower the amount of credit card debt they will carry when they graduate from college.