Dear Editor:
I played professional basketball for 11 years and now run the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization, a nonprofit that serves at-risk youth in the area of financial literacy. I agree with several important points made in "Avoiding Entitlement" (March 2007), but I disagree that parents should refrain from briefing their children on the basics of finance.

I grew up on welfare in a single-parent home; my wife comes from a blue-collar, middle-class family. We feel it is vital to teach our daughter the basics. She has a piggy bank where she allocates money for savings, church and to spend on personal expenditures.

For children ages 9 to 18, we should teach financial planning, budgeting, savings, investments, risk-management and credit. Those who fail to grasp the importance of these subjects, even in a privileged environment, are at a severe disadvantage when they reach adulthood. Why? Because our impulsive society tells children, "Satisfy your wants, whatever the cost." I’ve seen many cases where more money has simply amplified an out-of-control life.

Our program, Money—Keepin’ It Real!, has improved financial knowledge by 60 percent. The subjects are challenging, but we teach them in an engaging way.

Children are astute, and, when taught at their level, they can grasp and learn to cherish the wealth of information available on the topic of finance.
Lawrence Funderburke, Gahanna, Ohio