YOUR LIFE.

MEMORIAL DAY IS MUCH MORE THAN BARBECUES

As Memorial Day approaches, millions of people around the country are planning weekend travel trips, backyard barbecues, and time on the water. While Memorial Day weekend often is seen as the official kickoff to summer, the holiday has a much more significant meaning. In fact, without those who serve in the military, ensuring our continued freedom, there is a good chance that none of those enjoyable activities would be possible.

"Our priority on Memorial Day should be to remember those who have died in service making our freedom possible," explains Nicole Motsek, executive director of the EOD Warrior Foundation, Niceville, Fla. "Memorial Day is a great opportunity to teach our children about the sacrifice so many men and women have made for our country."

The holiday is observed every year on the last Monday of May, and is intended to officially and publicly remember men and women who died while serving in the country's armed forces. There is a national moment of remembrance that takes place at 3 p.m. local time countrywide.

Prior to being called Memorial Day, it was called Decoration Day, which was started three years after the Civil War ended. It was a day for decorating the graves of the fallen Civil War soldiers. Following World War I, it was expanded to include all those who had died in American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day officially was declared a national holiday.

It is appropriate to fly the flag at half-staff on Memorial Day from sunrise until noon only, then raise Old Glory briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation's battle heroes.

GET KIDS AN EARLY START IN FINANCIAL LITERACY

Americans are pretty good at showing their kids how to spend money, but not so great at teaching them how to save and grow it. We might get as far as a piggybank and an allowance, but that usually is where it ends. In fact, 69% of parents say they have some reluctance to discuss money matters with their offspring, according to a survey from T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., Baltimore, Md.

However, the same survey found that parents who discuss financial topics with their children at least once a week are significantly more likely to have kids who say they are smart about money--and that confidence could lead to fewer problems down the road with things like credit-card and student-loan debt.

Still, how do you talk to a fidgety five-year-old about compound interest and market volatility? 'You don't," says Eric Mattinson, an investment advisor representative with Semmax Financial Group Inc., WinstonSalem, N.C. "You keep it fun--and pretty informal--and step up the lev3 el of learning as the child gets older."

Keep the lessons simple and personal, with plenty of examples, Mattinson advises. That applies to everything from budgeting for a video-game purchase to buying stock in the company that makes it.

His tips for talking about money matters include:

* Tell your story. Sit down and talk with your children about your investments and how you make investment decisions. "If you put in the time to explain it in simple terms, you'd be surprised at what they can understand."

* Introduce them to online resources. "Kids love anything with a tech angle. Show them how to use finance platforms. They can get a wealth of information from such sites."

* Encourage them to buy stock in a favorite company. "I did this with my 10-year-old son, who chose to invest in Disney right before the last 'Star Wars' movie came out," Mattinson relates. "He's shown great interest in what's happening with the stock and he already understands yield. When the stock matches something children already are excited about, ifs much easier to keep their interest."

SCHOOLS SHOULD TEACH PERSONAL FINANCE

Money is the second-leading source of stress in the U.S., maintains a 2017 study from the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. Moreover, the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md., estimates that 40,000,000 Americans suffer from anxiety, which financial woes easily can trigger.

Yet, according to the "2018 Survey of the States: Economic and Personal Finance Education in Our Nation's Schools" by the Council for Economic Education, New York, financial independence may be out of reach for many because K-12 students are not receiving adequate tools and training to make informed financial decisions. For instance, only one-third of U.S. states mandate high school students to take a course in...