Everything I learned about money, I learned from mom - Money Talk$

YOU might have majored in accounting in college, but some of your best lessons about money probably came for free from your mom. You could have picked up these little quips of wisdom as a child while helping around the kitchen or playing in the yard, but they resurface in adulthood, guiding you through money issues.

"Never co-sign on a loan" is a lesson about finances many of us learned from our mothers.

At least once a month, you probably remember hearing your mother say, "Pay the rent or mortgage first and on time before spending money on anything else."

When planning to go on a date, you might recall hearing her wise voice say, "Always have mad money to get you home, or to pay for what you order."

Discussing the household budget with a partner can bring to mind your mom's warning, "Couples should have at least three accounts his, hers and one for household expenses."

The notions to "Establish credit in your name alone" and to "Pay your bills on time to keep good credit" are wise, but the seeds were probably planted years ago.

Can't you just hear her saying, "Baby, build a nest egg to save money that you won't miss, and keep it separate from your bill money." This could have been followed up with, "Don't be completely dependent on anybody for all of your money. Always have your own income."

Even if your partner handles the finances, mom told you to, "Know where the money is going." It's not a bad idea to "Look over the tax forms" if your spouse has filled them out because if the IRS has any questions, they'll want answers from both of you.

Another thing that's helped you keep your shirt is this advice from her: "Don't put money into get-rich-quick schemes. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is."

Many finance professionals say they learned most of what they know from their mothers and fathers. Juliette Fairley, a New York-based lifestyle consultant and author, says she realized at a young age that working for money was how she was going to get what she wanted. At age 10, she started getting paid for selling Christmas cards, helping a local makeup representative set up parties, working a paper route and helping her father, a high school principal, organize papers for school. Now she teaches monthly money classes for children and adults.

Calvin Harris, a CPA with FTI Consulting, a litigation-consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., says he learned to help pay for the things he wanted because his parents set limits on what they were willing to pay and said no if it was too high.

As a teen, Harris worked as a custodian and in a drugstore, making minimum wage to buy his first leather jacket and some clothes. "Once I was working for my own money, I didn't want my parents' money," says Harris, president oft he Baltimore Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.

Today, Fairley and Harris offer additional tips they learned at home that moms might want to use to make sure they are passing on the right examples.

Fairley says when your children are young, start giving them an allowance and helping them manage it. "Help them realize how far their money will go," says Fairley, author of Cash in the City: Affording Manolos, Martinis and Manicures on a Working Girl's Salary. "For example, they can't buy a $40 game with $20." Harris says, "Help them learn to treat an allowance like a paycheck; once you spend it, that's it."

Moms raising children today can help them get motivated to work for money by paying them for chores they do around the house.

Once they start making money, Harris says, young people should be taught to save as much as they can, but not be afraid to splurge sometimes. "Don't risk teaching them to be miserly," says Harris, the national treasurer of the alumni association of Morehouse College. "They should set limits and enjoy what they work for."

Fairley recommends showing children how to build a prudent reserve that saves three to six months of the household expenses for emergencies. In addition, include the children in the family's budget discussions. Let them see the monthly bills, and talk to them about investment plans, Fairley says. That's a good time for parents to teach them about different sorts of investments (such as stocks) by pretending or actually taking a share of a company and following it in the paper to see how the market works, Harris says.

Many money managers established the basis for their interest in money from lessons they learned from their mothers, and they say we should all remember the gems of our youth and build on them.