Of course, there's no $$ figure that fits all situations and all folks. The important thing to teach a young person IMO, is that life is all about balancing wants and needs and saving money along the way. Happiness is a state of mind and won't necessarily come from having lots of money. Granted, it does makes things easier in a lot of cases.

I think some of the most important things to teach kids these days are delayed gratification and to have a plan and work the plan. Be driven and work hard for what you want. Most anything worth having is worth working hard for.