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.

Nathan Dungan can help you start your kids on the right track.

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 offers 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.

Dungan offers 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.

Many parents tell me they avoid the topic of money with their children because they don’t feel qualified to talk and teach about it. Let me put you at ease.

To teach your kids the art of saving, you do not need a degree in finance. In fact, the parents I know who are having success in this area do not count investing as one of their favorite pastimes. Rather, they combine a good system (share-save-spend allowance) and excellent follow-through with the "learn more as you go method."

On that note, I highly recommend you implement a weekly allowance for your child (not tied to chores). Why? At a minimum, it will ensure 52 opportunities to help them develop healthy savings habits.

The earlier you transfer financial accountability and responsibility to your child the better off they will be at making saving and investing decisions later in life. Hundreds of financial books tout the value of paying yourself first. A systematic savings routine ensures that will happen.

How can you model healthy saving habits for your child?

Children imitate the behavior they learn at home. If they see you practicing healthy savings habits, there's a good chance they'll do the same. Talk to your children about the benefits of savings and show them how it works for your family.

The Money Talks question is designed to build on the Share-Save-Spend tip for the week and can be used as a springboard for additional conversations with family and friends.

Is money burning a hole in our pockets? According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, savings as a percentage of after tax income has gone from a high of 9 percent in late 1992 to 1.2 percent in 2004.

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