Customer Reviews

Dollars & Sense for Kids

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm not exactly sure what the previous reviewers disliked about this book. I found it to be a frank discussion of money issues related to kids. Maybe the "for kids" in the title was misleading, the content is clearly for parents. With this book a parent can get a grasp on a large number of ideas and resources to help kids manage money. The author has done a good job of putting together a work covering everything from handling money discussions with preschoolers to working out money issues with teens and everything in between. This is a great reference book containing ideas about guiding kids who are making money, and also has information to help kids manage that money and manange the situations surrounding it. There are web sites, a generous bibliography and plenty of ideas and advice for different age kids and different situations. The book is worth the price for the three chapters on savings, investments and kid businesses alone. If you are looking for a well written, no nonsense book about kid finances you would do well to give this book a second look.

As the author of this book--which Library Journal has described as a "wise and witty tome"--I was appalled to read a couple of the negative "reviews" on this page. In fact, I question whether they're reviews at all. Based on their similar content and wording, I suspect they have been planted on behalf of another author. They certainly don't describe my book, which is neither "nasty," "mean-spirited" nor "bossy."
Here are a few quotes from "Dollars & Sense":
--"What works for you won't necessarily work for your neighbor."
--"There is a comon theme in how you should teach your kids about money: Be candid, be consistent and use your own good common sense."
--"All the advice I give has been used successfully by some parent--though not necessarily by me. Like any family, we've had our successes and failures."
--"My aim is to offer reasonable solutions in a readable form that real people will find useful--and even entertaining."
--"Kids are people, too, and they deserve to have their questions taken seriously and answered thoughtfully."
Are my own kids "quaking in their boots"? Hardly. They are quite secure, and have a great sense of humor about having a mother who writes about kids and money. They've also picked up a thing or two along the way. My oldest went off to college this fall, and I'm confident he won't bounce any checks or run up a big credit card bill.
My thanks to the two reviewers--both unknown to me--who obviously took the time to read "Dollars & Senses" and gave it five stars. The reviewer from Boston thinks it's "worth the price for the chapters on savings, investments and kid businesses alone." The reviewer from Washington finds it "direct and to the point," and invites readers to "look at the content. Good stuff."
I second that invitation. I also invite readers to come to our Web site, www.kiplinger.com, and read my weekly column on kids and money.
By the way, the previous edition of this book, published as "Dr. Tightwad's Money-Smart Kids," was chosen by Amazon as one of the year's top-ten business books. And the audio version (read by the author) has won awards from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and the Audio Publishers Association. Good stuff!

Dollars and Sense for Kids is right on the money. Janet Bodnar has been writing about kids and money for over 20 years and knows what she's talking about. Although it may sound harsh, Ms. Bodnar instills values that WILL work. If one looks at the state of the economy right now in the US and sees that most kids never learned about finances from their parents, they will see many parents weren't doing their job. While Ms. Bodnar's kids will be financially set, other such authors, who chose to candy coat financial issues with their kids, will be the ones who will be bailing their kids out in 10 - 20 years. Their kids won't know what to do with the little they earn. Kids need a parent who will be frank with them, especially about finances. Not a parent who wants to be their kid's friend. I read Ms. Bodnar's columns in both Kiplinger's Personal Finance, as well as on Kiplinger.com whenever they come out to get information that will help me. Dollars and Sense for Kids is loaded with information that you can pass on to your kids, however you choose to do so. Look at the content. Good Stuff.

There are a lot of books out there for kids about money. There are tons of books out there for adults about money. But there are suprisingly not a lot of books out there to help parents raise kids who are financially savvy. In a nation where kids have more and more discretionary income, earlier access to credit, are targeted with advertising from a young age and influence on the spending of parents, this type of book is needed more than ever.

You don't need an MBA to read this humorous, down-to-earth style. The advice applies to real life families and real life situations. Many times you will read the question and answer section and wonder if you yourself or at least your kids actually wrote in to the author.

The book does have an emphasis on personal responsibility (which was actually why it resonates so well with me) and teaching your kids to be responsible consumers. Perhaps the people who offered negative reviews disliked this aspect of the book. For example, if your child has spent his allowance and needs money to buy a birthday gift for a friend, is it more caring to let him learn his lesson or do you just give in and give your son additional cash?

The chapter on allowance is worth it alone. I can't reccomend this book highly enough.

Dollars & Sense For Kids: What They Need To Know About Money - And How To Tell Them by Janet Bodnar (Senior Editor, "Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine") is a practical and "user friendly' parenting guide to the art of teaching kids of all ages how to be responsible with their money. From using allowances to teach hands-on experience in budget and resource management, to helping children balance the responsibilities of a part-time job with schoolwork and other concerns, to coping with teenagers who think they know everything about money already, Dollars & Sense For Kids is a highly accessible and strongly recommended money-management instructional manual for parents at any income level.

If she treats her kids in the same condascending way that she advocates for other parents, her kids are going to be in more than financial trouble.

Neal Godfrey has written several better and much kinder books that will get your kids off on the right foot.

This author may think that being bossy and totally rigid about raising kids is the way to instill "values." I would never talk to my kids in such a hostile and mean way. My kids respect my husband and me but that's because we respect them. We are still the parents and make the ultimate important decisions but the only way kids will learn to make good decisions on their own (and we won't always be there with them) is by instilling confidence in them and showing them common courtesy. Sadly, this book shows no compassion for kids. Stick with Neale Godfrey's books on kids and money. The tone is much nicer and the advice is far superior and Ms. Godfrey's advice gets the results--money-savy kids.

Your kids would get a better money lesson if you just handed them the cost of this book and told them to spend it however they chose.

We managed to raise three happy, healthy and financially responsible kids. But we did it with love, caring and by having open discussions with our kids about money from preschool through college.

Ms. Bodnar... must have her three kids quaking in their boots. I don't envy her kids.

Money--and child rearing for that matter--is hard work but can be the most rewarding and enjoyable experience of one's life.

What worked for us was to keep the lines of communications open with our kids, let them have some money to spend and discuss purchases before and after they make a purchase.

We all buy things that we later regret and that can be a great learning experience for kids as long as you don't berate them and belittle their choices. Ms. Bodnar hasn't learned that lesson. So I must say that her book has missed a great opportunity to teach kids about money.

Better books are on the market about kids and money or you can go with your own parental instincts. That's what we did and it worked.

This woman should be forced to take parenting classes if this is how she treats her own three kids.
Kids learn through good advice coupled with kind hearts and caring parents.

Skip this book. There are more empathetic and useful money books for parents trying to instill values in their kids.

This book is just plain nasty.