For me to read a book about money, it has to be written by someone clever. Why? Because I like to read interesting, funny, or engaging things and a book about money doesn’t sound like it would fall into one of those categories. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I just don’t think I’d be likely to pick up a money book unless the author could really keep my attention.
This author can do it.
Beth Kobliner, the author, is a woman with some impressive credentials. This is what she states in the introduction:
“I’ve visited Sesame Street to teach Elmo about saving, I’ve spent time on Wall Street, where I’ve picked the brains of some of the top experts in the field. I’ve advised President Barack Obama as a member of the President’s advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans and headed up an initiative, Money as You Grow, to teach parents what their kids need to know about money at every age. Along the way, I’ve pored over reports and studies in the fields of behavioral economics, social psychology, and, of course, finance to keep up with a subject that grows more complicated every day.”
That's the part you need to know as a reader so you can trust her perspective. Then you can breathe out any anxiety you might have on the subject and enjoy her whit.
As moms, we have a lot of things that can feel overwhelming or areas of our parenting that make us feel less than awesome. This book isn’t going to heap weight onto the motherhood-guilt pile. Nope, it won’t. Instead I think this book eases you into every subject the author approaches. She speaks in an understandable language and, like I said, I think she’s clever.
The book starts with a list of 14 rules that are simple and digestible. These rules are comprised of things like “Use anecdotes,” “Identify your financial baggage – then leave it behind” “Share the talking” and my favorite, “Don’t expect your child to have money skills if all you’ve given him is money.” You head into the book thinking that whatever she is going to tell you should be pretty accessible.
Instead of making you feel like you missed the boat on everything in the money realm, she walks you through different things you can instill right now. She is reassuring and informative. I enjoy her pace and she keeps it interesting. I'm not a fan of the how-to books that make you feel like you should have read it 8 years ago because it’s too late at this point, but you won’t get that with this book. The author takes the time to cater to different age groups and allows you to take her written expertise a la carte – in the places you need it.
These are some of my favorite snapshots of the book, which also give you a snippet of her writing style:
I’m excited to delve into this book as our kids continue to learn and grow. We’ve put into practice some of the principles in this book, but we are eager to take some more beneficial nuggets from these pages in the future. Since the book gives many examples and short stories to illustrate her points, you can distribute these lessons to your sweet kiddos here and there in those small pockets of time you find throughout the week. The book looks bigger or longer than it actually is, don’t be frightened. There are quite a bit of extra resources in the back.
My kids with their Batman masks on. ;)
One of my favorite portions of the book is where the author instructs us to tell our kids to pretend to be Batman (or another well-loved hero)! She explains a psychological study showing why this gets kids to work harder. I enjoyed the way she explained it. I value the fact that she gives a wide variety of ideas for you to try as you teach your children how to exchange hard work for good pay. The author doesn’t talk at you, she talks with you and she expects you to do the same with your kids.
This book has nice margins to take notes in, and the chapters allow for you to pickup anywhere and reference subjects as needed. I would put it on the coffee table, but I don’t have a coffee table. My kids are still at the stage where they are pretending to be Batman and running around the living room. I’m not sure I’m ready to give them any new furniture obstacles quite yet. However, I am ready to give them a few sound money tips!
Thankful for a helpful resource on a tough subject,
Lindsey Feldpausch
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Opinions are 100% my own.
Share this post:
