Money Matters: Teaching Kids About Money

Guest post by Anthony Delauney

 I have worked in the financial services industry for nearly twenty years.  My passion has always been helping families.  One common concern that I’ve heard over the years is "How do I start teaching my kids about money?"  

I’ve discovered as both an advisor and as a father that telling children what to do does not often yield the results we desire.  Instead, children tend to learn from stories.  They constantly observe the world around them, and then they do their best to interpret how someone else is feeling and how they might react in a given situation. 

As my children have grown, I’ve found that conversations with them about money were not easy to have.  When I would just tell them what to do and not give a reason why to do it, the lessons seemed to fade or be forgotten.  

I wanted to create a tool to help make family money conversations more fun and engaging and to help children feel a sense of ownership in their decision-making.  

My daughter Abbie loves to read, and she also loves storytelling.  My son Jason connects with me through challenges and games.  His passion for games and Abbie’s passion for storytelling are what brought the Owning the Dash Kid’s Books to life.

Together, we created a series of rhyming picture books for young children that share stories where kids go through life experiences that young readers can understand.  Abbie makes sure that the stories are entertaining and easy-to-read.  Jason makes sure that the book games or activities are fair and engaging.  My focus is to incorporate an important financial lesson into each book.  

We created the books to serve as tools to help parents start conversations about money with their children and also help teachers and librarians start conversations with their students.  

Our first book Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game teaches the importance of patience, compassion and delayed gratification.  It includes a game that all families can play.

Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work is set to release on October 4.  It teaches the importance of why parents work and also the basics of a budget.  It includes an activity book that children can use to create their first Money Book.

Rohan and Nyra and Big Sister’s Bet is set to be released in March 2023.  It will teach a valuable lesson about greed and how emotions impact decision making.  It will include a wonderful game all parents can play with their children.

About the Author

Anthony Delauney is a financial Dadvisor and the founder of Owning the Dash, LLC. He has worked inthe financial services industry since 2003, helping families develop plans that address their broad range of goals and dreams, including cash flow management, debt elimination, protection planning, family planning, small business planning, education and retirement planning, investment education, and estate planning. He has acquired the professional certifications of Certified Financial Planner(TM) practitioner, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor(SM), Retirement Income Certified Professional®, and Behavioral Financial Advisor(TM).

Anthony has made it his professional mission to guide families on their journey to financial freedom and to promote childhood financial literacy.