Synopsis
Is your child a spendthrift? A hoarder? Or maybe, downright oblivious? Are there family money dramas you can do without? In RAISING FINANCIALLY FIT KIDS, Joline Godfrey, one of the countrys leading experts on kids, parents, and money, gives parents the secrets and knowledge she has gleaned from a decade of working with kids on financial literacy and business. At the heart of the book lies a defined set of values:Money is a tool for achieving and maintaining independence. Saving is good; accumulation for its own sake is not. Spending is best done wisely and within ones means (though a bold purchase or investment may also be an act of wisdom). Greed is not good. Giving generously is part of ones responsibility to the human family; shepherding wealth is an act of respectto the past and the future. Money is an energy (not a commodity) that can be used for evil or for good.Designed for adultsparents, grandparents, mentors, advisors, and educatorsconcerned about raising children ages 5 to 18, RAISING FINANCIALLY FIT KIDS is centered around a developmental map covering ten specific money skills each child can master by the age of 18 to become a financially secure adult. This map gives parents a step-by-step approach to helping their kids become habitual savers, smart money mangers, and responsible decision makers. More than just a money book, RAISING FINANCIALLY FIT KIDS will help parents send their children into the world as balanced, financially stable individuals and contributing members of both their family and community.
About Joline Godfrey
JOLINE GODFREY has been a pioneer in the field of financial education since 1990. Today she is one of the country’s foremost experts on kids, families, and money. Godfrey is founder and CEO of Independent Means, Inc., a leading provider of financial education for families. Recognized in features for the Today show, Oprah, Fortune, BusinessWeek, and the New York Times, Godfrey is a frequent speaker and consult-ant worldwide. She lives in Ojai, California. Visit www.independentmeans.com and follow her blog at www.independentmeans.com/imi/category/joline.
Praise
“I want to commend you on the Raising Financially Fit Kids newsletter. Each issue is informative. Thanks for the time and energy you put into it.”
—R. Quirk, Federal Reserve Bank
“I look forward to this every month and find it useful already with my five-year-old.”
—Toodi Gunter, Columnist, Business Week
“Once again Joline Godfrey sets the standard on the financial literacy front. All the tips today’s parents need are within this richly packed volume: Joline offers up age-appropriate lessons for each stage of a young person’s financial journey. No one does it better.”
—Whitney Ransome and Meg Milne Moulton, Executive Directors, National Coalition of Girls’ Schools
“Financial literacy is listed in Faith Popcorn’s Dictionary of the Future as a service being offered by a growing number of investment firms for their clients. Godfrey’s book gives us yet another terrific tool with which to support the needs of our clients.”
—Carol Malnick, Partner, Nelson Capital