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In this issue: Facing our financial fears, sports betting and letting our parental lights shine on the money-smart journey with our kids. “Working to help parents raise money-smart kids.” 3 Ideas to Share & Save Hello, friends! This week I’ll be sharing several meaningful quotes with you. And to illuminate each one a bit, I’ll also point to some of my own short essays or podcast conversations that I believe pair well. I hope you enjoy these “3 Ideas to Share & Save”! — 1 — Facing Our (Financial) Fears: “When you turn to face your deepest fears, you may never have to meet them.”
—Chinese Proverb
One reason for publishing this newsletter is to help us all chip away at the pervasive taboos that prevent productive family discussions about money. Open conversations are key to raising money-smart, money-empowered kids. So while our financial fears may have deep roots, overcoming them and talking freely about the green stuff with our kids is important. This excerpt from my discussion with Troutwood founder Gene Natali can help. (Please share it with someone you know who might be having trouble opening up a money conversation with their kids. 🙏) You might also enjoy my discussion with Tom Henske of Total Cents. Since Tom’s primary focus is helping parents have money conversations, he shares prompts from across the financial literacy spectrum. — 2 — The Wide World of Sports (Betting): “Anyone who makes a distinction between entertainment and education doesn’t know the first thing about either.”
—Marshall McLuhan
McLuhan, a media critic, is most famous for proclaiming, “The medium is the message.” And today’s media landscape has erased boredom. Our kids can get dopamine hits anytime, anywhere. 😳 Author and educator Neil Postman even warned us of “amusing ourselves to death.” Unfortunately, I see more evidence every day that we might be doing just that. For example, I love watching football, but I’m disgusted by how engrained sports betting has become. Apps like DraftKings don’t just flood a game’s advertisements; they’re included in the main broadcast. So our kids can’t imagine a sports landscape without easy access to betting. McLuhan might even say they’re being “educated” to accept betting as the norm. And while I didn’t address betting specifically in this short essay, I did write about how important it is to guide our kids with a little training in media savviness. — 3 — Letting Our (Parental) Lights Shine: “Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (author of The Little Prince)
In this Art of Allowance Podcast short, Will Rainey, a wealth-building expert and the author of Grandpa’s Fortune Fable$, succinctly explains an important distinction between indulging in a luxurious experience and living a luxurious life filled with stuff: In closing, I’ll leave you with these uplifting words from Rosamund and Benjamin Zander. They come from their wonderful book, The Art of Possibility. “It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
Let’s allow our lights to shine for our children. 💡 And, as always, enjoy the journey! John, P.S. Please consult with a financial or investment professional before engaging in any decisions that might affect your own financial well-being. View this email in your browser. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
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