This might be time the year to teach your kids about money. Despite it being a central feature of our lives, and the fact that children are taught about the basic concept of money, it’s hard to deny that we’ve all faced serious struggles with our financing and budgeting when we first gained financial independence. According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s best to start early with these conversations, and honesty is the best policy — even when it comes to talking about family income. “Often, parents fear causing their children anxiety or think talking about money is impolite. The problem is, keeping these secrets often caused more anxiety than telling the truth. And the negative effects of that childhood anxiety can last into adulthood. [Research has] found that subjects who report limited communication with their parents about money later in life feel ‘clueless,’ as if they don’t truly understand how credit cards or money management works.”

And don’t think that nudging them toward finance courses will automatically result in better financial management skills in the real world. While there is a general correlation, researchers have found that the link does not imply causation, particularly since there are several individual factors — such as family income bracket — that can affect people’s financial literacy. However, doubling down on math education does help, just by making kids more confident with numbers.