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The Punchline

Tooth Fairy hit by inflation, kids rejoice

Jefferson Yen Sep 4, 2012

A study out today from the credit card company Visa reveals one positive sign in the economy, at least for kids. The average gift from the Tooth Fairy rose to $3 per tooth, up 15 percent from last year.

“The Tooth Fairy may be the canary in the economic coal mine,” Jason Alderman, Visa’s Senior Director of Global Financial Education, said in a press release. “This is not only good news for kids, but an ideal teachable moment for parents to engage their children in thinking about how to budget their windfall.”

The credit card company also came out today with a new iPhone app for parents that want to keep up to date on the latest changes in loose tooth values, USA Today reports. The app calculates the current rate for teeth; It’s also available on the web.

The survey also found that 3 percent of kids receive less than a dollar from the tooth fairy, 30 percent received exactly $1, 13 percent recieved $2 to $4, 18 percent received $5, and 8 percent of kids receive more than $5.

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