Money can be a very tough subject for you and your kids, but you're probably doing something right if you're talking about it with them at all.

To help you start your kids on the right track, we're bringing in Nathan Dungan to help.

Dungan is an author, award-winning speaker and national expert on family finances and the effects of mass marketing on young people.

A top-performing financial adviser and vice president of marketing for a Fortune 500 financial services company, he founded Share-Save-Spend LLC, an organization that helps people of all ages develop and maintain healthy financial habits.

Dungan will offer insight drawn from his highly successful Share-Save-Spend approach to money. "Having a balanced approach to financial matters means aligning what you care about with how you use your money. While this sounds simple enough, it becomes seriously complicated by the compounding pressure on young people to spend, spend, spend, and to reach for an upscale lifestyle," Dungan said.

Each week, Dungan will offer advice on how parents can create financial values in their children.

Dungan will offer a Share-Save-Spend tip, a question to prompt money discussions with your children, and a gotta-have-it-now fact that illustrates the incredible influence mass marketing has on our children.

Here is Dungan's first column.

Many families have expressed to me that children's birthday celebrations are out of control. The prevailing theme seems to be "bigger, better, more stuff." One family told me how their son received a bicycle as a "thank you" for attending a friend's birthday party. Yes, I said a bicycle. Suffice it to say the son was thrilled, but mom and dad were exasperated.

What about a party without the presents -- or a "gift alternative" birthday party. That is, rather than the traditional party with gifts for the child, the child asks participants to bring a gift for a charity -- such as the Humane Society or a homeless shelter for young people. Most children won't think of this on their own so planting a few seeds today might help sow the desired result in the future.

A word of caution: Be prepared to hear loud cheers reverberating throughout the neighborhood. They will come from the many parents who are also tired of the "bigger, better, more stuff" mentality that is the norm for most children's birthday celebrations.

How are birthday parties today different from those you attended as a child?

According to the Wall Street Journal, as American parents grow older and have more money to spend on their children, an increasing amount of high-level, imported baby furniture has hit the U.S. market. Highchairs have become akin to haute couture and are part of what was a $9.7 billion market in 2003, including furnishing and toys for babies.

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