Parents Learn to Give Their Teens the Gift of Money Smarts This Holiday Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 14, 2005 — Virgin Mobile USA and The Financial Fitness Coach, have teamed up to help parents educate their teens on making smart buying choices and to promote financial literacy lessons that will last a lifetime in a series of live national radio interviews scheduled December 12 through December 15, 2005.

“Many teens have their own purchasing power and don’t want to wait for their parents to buy them the latest gadgets they crave, so now more than ever parents need to provide a balance between helping their teens be financially independent and teaching them to become educated consumers.” says Sanyika Calloway Boyce, Financial Fitness Coach and author of Teen Money Tips: Simple Steps For Banking, Saving & Making Money.

With a mission to make the holiday season a lot less stressful for parents and happier for teens, Virgin Mobile USA, has named Sanyika Calloway Boyce as the spokesperson for their holiday media campaign, “Teens and Money: Smart Choices for 2006.”

Listeners who tune in to one of several live national radio interviews scheduled to air this week will hear useful information on how to avoid the hidden costs of cell phone family plans, choosing the best credit cards to teach teens financial independence and tips for opening high yield savings accounts with holiday money.

According to the National Council on Economic Education, only 26% of teens and young adults say their parents taught them how to manage money. As a former debt strapped college student Sanyika Calloway Boyce knows what can happen when out-of-control spending clashes with a lack of financial education.

“Often parents of college age students struggle with teaching them about money while they’re away at school. A simple solution is for parents to give teens access to the money they’ll need for school expenses by using a pre-loaded debit card or co-signed credit card to help them set limits and work within a budget,” says Calloway Boyce.

The “Teens and Money: Smart Choices for 2006” campaign will empower parents tuning in to the live radio interviews with the ability to give their teens the gift of money smarts. Listeners will also get details on how to receive a complimentary copy of “Teen Money Tips” courtesy of Virgin Mobile USA. And with January being Financial Wellness Month it is the right time for all family members to commit to making better money choices.

For a list of stations and interview times, visit www.FinancialFitnessCoach.com for the full schedule and more information.

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