I guess I'm confused why $500 is such a big deal for a couple HS kids to have. That has been mentioned more than once in this thread. That's only $250 each. My son just turned 17 and he never asks for a dime. He buys his own gas, food, video games, etc. I am the "adult" on his bank account and I monitor what he spends his money on and he currently has over $3,500 in his account. I know most older people think this generation of teens is worthless, but some of them are hard working productive citizens.