 TITLE: How to Teach Your Kids About Money and Credit CONTENT: When Should Kids Start Building Credit?\n---------------------------------------\nIdeally, a strong credit profile should be established by the time a young person graduates from college or needs to start making independent financial decisions on their own, such as renting an apartment or applying for a car loan. That means the late teen and college years are ideal times to build good credit.\nBut it's possible to start building credit even earlier. Credit card issuers may allow minors to be added as authorized users to their parents' credit cards, for instance. American Express allows children aged 13 or older to become additional cardmembers, and there's no minimum age requirement for Capital One or Chase cards. Some issuers are more restrictive; Barclaycard, for instance, requires authorized users to be at least 18.\nAs an authorized user, your child will be able to make purchases on your account, but won't be responsible for paying them off. That means it's likely best to give them access to their own credit card when they're old enough to have a clear understanding of credit and debt. Until then, their credit profile will benefit from your own positive payment history on the account. Some credit issuers allow cardholders to set spending limits for authorized users, so you might explore this option if you'd like some guardrails. END