1.       The Graduate by Charles Webb (1963). Aspiring Benjamin Braddocks will get the wrong idea if you slip ‘em a copy of the novel that inspired a zillion parodies of THAT LINE. For better or worse, today’s kids will think of Heidi Klum’s lame-o Hardee’s  commercial before they ever conjure Dustin Hoffman.

2.       Nickel and Dimed (On [Not] Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich(2001). We’re all for a dose of reality, but let ‘em have a couple months in your basement before you make them confront the future.

3.       The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades by Timbuk 3 (1986; sheet music). Just because 27 years later you can still say “Fifty thou a year will buy a lot of beer” and think it’s funny (or relevant) doesn’t mean the newly minted will.

4.       This Rich World: The Story of Money by Constance J. Foster, illustrated by Crockett Johnson (1943). Sure, this primer on the monetary system is a cult classic, but just because it’s aimed at a third-grade reading level doesn’t mean new grads will understand it.

5.       Free Money “They” Don’t Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (2013). As of this writing, infomercial king and con man extraordinaire Trudeau lives in Switzerland to dodge a $37 million Federal Trade Commission fine. Apparently that makes him highly qualified to tell you how to make free money. Unless you want to Skype with your kids while they’re on the lam in Zurich, probably best to avoid.