Wealth managers at Bank of Montreal kept hearing the same things from Canada's richest families: Help me! My kids know nothing about money and will squander¹ the family fortunes.

Two years later, the one-day seminar aimed at the grown children of what the bank calls its "high net worth families" has a waiting list, and is taking to the road to teach heirs and heiresses across Canada how to manage their money.

"Word has gotten out about the program," said Jean Blacklock, vice-president of wealth services at Canada's fourth-largest bank. "Our competitors are not offering anything similar ... and parents are very happy to see how excited their children were after attending the seminar."

Many were less thrilled before they attended, forced to participate by parents who control the purse strings².

"Levels of interest vary," admitted Jim Davies, the New-York based expert who teaches the day-long course. "You get one who says: 'I play the guitar and draw, and my father told me I have to go to this or he'd cut me off'."

But the economic crisis and grim headlines have upped appetites for the seminar, aimed at teaching a few key generalities: how to set goals, balance a budget, and avoid getting swindled by Bernie Madoff-esque money managers.

"They're concerned about that, of course they are," said Davies, a New York Institute of Finance faculty³ member who has been teaching children of the wealthy for 20 years.

The code word for the seminar is discretion⁴. Blacklock declined to name clients, saying only that parents have a net worth of at least C$500,000. She said it is frequently a family affair.

"Siblings⁵ often come together, or we have cousin combinations," Blacklock explained, showing the plush seminar room, 68 stories above Toronto's financial district, where wealthy heirs had enjoyed wall-to-wall views of Lake Ontario only moments before.

加拿大蒙特利尔银行的理财经理们过去总是从该国最富裕的家庭听到同样的话：帮帮我！我的孩子对理财一无所知，总有一天会荡尽家财。

两年之后的今天，蒙特利尔银行专门针对“高额资产家庭”子弟推出的的一日知识讲座颇受追捧，该讲座主要教授加拿大富豪家族的继承人们如何管理财富。

该银行的理财服务部副总监吉恩•布莱克洛克说：“有关开课的消息已经传出去。我们提供的服务是竞争对手所没有的，家长们看到他们的孩子参加讲座后很兴奋也感到非常开心。”蒙特利尔银行是加拿大第四大银行。

很多孩子之前并不感兴趣，是在管钱的父母的逼迫下才去听课的。

来自纽约、教授该理财课程的专家吉姆•达维斯坦称：“大家的兴趣程度各不相同。有个学员说，‘我爱弹吉它画画，但我爸告诉我必须去上这个课，要不他就不给我钱花。’”

但经济危机和各种郁闷的消息增加了该讲座的吸引力。该讲座旨在教授几个主要的常识性问题，包括如果设定目标，保持预算平衡以及如何避免受麦道夫这样的理财经理的诈骗等等。

达维斯说：“他们很关心这些问题，这是当然的。”达维斯是纽约财政学院的一名老师，他教授富家子弟理财已有20年。

该讲座的关键词是谨慎。布莱克洛克拒绝提供学员信息，只称参加培训的学员的家庭净资产至少为50万加元。据她介绍，家庭成员们总是一起来听课。

布莱克洛克解释说：“一家的兄弟姐妹常常一起来听课，也有表亲一起来的。”讲座教室十分豪华，位于多伦多金融区68层的高楼之上，在这里这些富家子弟们刚刚欣赏到安大略湖的全景。

Vocabulary:

purse string:钱袋口上的绳子；指金钱