Whose responsibility is it to teach your kids about money? How you answer that all depends on the types of lessons you hope they'll learn and use.

This seems to be a universal question that more of us need to ask and answer. Unfortunately, many of our kids learn the hard way, too late, or not at all. If you're a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, you can still play an active and meaningful role in teaching kids about money; sooner rather than later.

Here are a few tips to make your job a little easier.

I speak to teens and college students nationwide and I see it more often than I care to - teens, under the age of 18, still in high school getting into credit card debt before most are able to drink, drive or even vote.

Managing money is difficult for most adults, add the pressures to "fit in" and be "grown-up" before they're ready and teens are often caught in a tug-of-war between being dependent on their parents and totally independent to do what they please.

Cell phones, designer purses, MP3 players; now add credit cards to the short list of must-haves for teens, but where does it - or should it end?

I've always been a proponent of teaching kids about money, credit and debt early and often. With credit card companies marketing to younger audiences, as parents, the role of playing the "financial tough guy" is even more important now than it has ever been. Here's why...

With gas prices at more than $3 per gallon and threatening to go higher before they come down; Americans are feeling the "pain at the pump."

As if the pressure of rising gas costs isn't enough; according to a recent article in the San Jose Mercury News, banking regulators recently issued new guidance on repaying credit card debt that includes increasing minimum payments.

Traditionally, low minimum payments have been the blessing and curse of having a credit card. On one hand consumers paid only pennies on the dollar of the debt they racked up making the monthly payment seem easier to handle, especially with balances owed on more than one card. On the other hand, making such low payments keeps consumers in a cycle of debt that doesn't seem to have an end in sight.

Banks are expected to implement the change by the start of 2006, right after the holidays when consumer balances are usually at there all time high.

There are few things that frustrate me more than seeing someone being taking advantage of. Often when people have money troubles and don't have a strong financial foundation they become targets for the appropriately named, predatory lenders.

Being caught in a cycle of bridge loans, payday loans and quick-cash loans with high interest rates, penalties and fees - some as high as 50 percent can be enough to put anyone under; but if you're already starting at the bottom you'll literally get buried in debt.

If you've ever been caught in the vicious cycle there's a company that's answering your "SOS" and is sending help your way with a "rescue loan" the concept is simple yet profound.

First, participating families must take a six-week financial literacy course that teaches participants about managing personal finances, dealing with loans and repairing bad credit. Then, Family Services Inc., a Billings Montana based company will give them a loan to pay off their lenders. The families repay Family Service at no interest and more importantly get money lessons that will last a lifetime.