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Money-smart Kids
Want to teach your kids to see money as a tool, not a trap? Determinded to help them avoid the mistakes you made?
As a parent, you want the best for your kids. You work hard to provide every advantage you can. You want them to be safe, smart, and healthy. yet when it comes to money, it's a whole different story. If you're like most people, you'd rather run a mile through a desert with a camel on your back than talk financial realities with your children.
Your parents told you that talking about money just wasn't polite. Look where that left you! A healthy, balanced attitude towards money begins when kids are just toddling, so pull you head out of the sand and help your child learn about money and how it works.
Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Canada's #1 personal finance expert, will teach you everything your children need to know. Gail believes that building confidence and money skills begins with an age-appropriate allowance. In "Money-Smart Kids", she'll show you how to start an allowance and how to help your kids:
- Make Saving a habit
- Learn the difference between a need and a want
- Use the "magic jars" to balance competing goals
- Create lifelong money-management skills
What better gift could you give your kids than the confidence to control their money, rather thean letter their money control them? Whether your children are toddlers or teens, let Gail help you raise Money-Smart Kids.
As a parent, you want the best for your kids. You work hard to provide every advantage you can. You want them to be safe, smart, and healthy. yet when it comes to money, it's a whole different story. If you're like most people, you'd rather run a mile through a desert with a camel on your back than talk financial realities with your children.
Your parents told you that talking about money just wasn't polite. Look where that left you! A healthy, balanced attitude towards money begins when kids are just toddling, so pull you head out of the sand and help your child learn about money and how it works.
Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Canada's #1 personal finance expert, will teach you everything your children need to know. Gail believes that building confidence and money skills begins with an age-appropriate allowance. In "Money-Smart Kids", she'll show you how to start an allowance and how to help your kids:
- Make Saving a habit
- Learn the difference between a need and a want
- Use the "magic jars" to balance competing goals
- Create lifelong money-management skills
What better gift could you give your kids than the confidence to control their money, rather thean letter their money control them? Whether your children are toddlers or teens, let Gail help you raise Money-Smart Kids.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
22 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Gail Vaz-Oxlade
20 books169 followers"Hello! I'm Gail Vaz-Oxlade. I'm a mother, step-mother, grand-mama, friend, confessor, writer, TV host, money maven, teacher, artist, and ex-wife. I'm loud, large and laugh a lot. I'm passionate about learning, committed to sharing and hell-bent on getting people to take control of their money and their lives.
I've written 13 books on personal finance, hundreds of articles for the financial media, published a financial magazine for women, hosted three prime-time television shows and worked with Canada’s leading financial services companies to help educate employees and clients. (I've been busy, eh?)
My corporate projects have ranged from the design of a product knowledge and sales curriculum to cover every product sold through the branch network, to the writing of several consumer-oriented brochures, the development of web content, the on-camera hosting of consumer-oriented videos, and myriad public presentations. I can make the most complex financial topic accessible to everyone, even kids.
For those of you who have detected an accent, go ahead and guess! I immigrated to Canada in 1977, lived in The Big City for a long time and then moved to the country. I have dozens of houseplants, read or listen to about 150 books a year and I'm a fabulous cook. I’m learning to knit and dying to get a new puppy… but the time’s not quite right yet so I’m practicing what I preach and being patient.
I’m all about change, and I believe that we can have anything we want in life…anything. It’s all a matter of what’s important to us and how hard we’re prepared to bust our butts. I also believe that a well-balanced life is one of the keys to happiness, and so I strive to achieve a sense of balance.
I’m happy with my life. I am determined to do interesting work and to be useful. I love to learn new things. And I’m practicing living in The Now. I am a work in progress."
I've written 13 books on personal finance, hundreds of articles for the financial media, published a financial magazine for women, hosted three prime-time television shows and worked with Canada’s leading financial services companies to help educate employees and clients. (I've been busy, eh?)
My corporate projects have ranged from the design of a product knowledge and sales curriculum to cover every product sold through the branch network, to the writing of several consumer-oriented brochures, the development of web content, the on-camera hosting of consumer-oriented videos, and myriad public presentations. I can make the most complex financial topic accessible to everyone, even kids.
For those of you who have detected an accent, go ahead and guess! I immigrated to Canada in 1977, lived in The Big City for a long time and then moved to the country. I have dozens of houseplants, read or listen to about 150 books a year and I'm a fabulous cook. I’m learning to knit and dying to get a new puppy… but the time’s not quite right yet so I’m practicing what I preach and being patient.
I’m all about change, and I believe that we can have anything we want in life…anything. It’s all a matter of what’s important to us and how hard we’re prepared to bust our butts. I also believe that a well-balanced life is one of the keys to happiness, and so I strive to achieve a sense of balance.
I’m happy with my life. I am determined to do interesting work and to be useful. I love to learn new things. And I’m practicing living in The Now. I am a work in progress."
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 4, 2012
Love to read books by Ms. Vaz-Oxlade, and love her shows - she is has such a refreshing no-nonsense, pragmatic, and honest approach and style. If I could recommend only one book to help teach children about money this would be it! Easy, practical, and very reasonable. Thank you for all the wonderful tips, suggestions, and help.
May 17, 2024
I have a season pass to whatever Gail wants to tell me about money. This short and sweet primer on how to teach money management skills to your kids was no exception. It’s a bit dated in terms of technologies mentioned, but worth keeping on the shelf nonetheless.
September 27, 2024
Quick read, no nonsense as usual from Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Would have preferred a little longer with more detail- like how to talk to kids about what the saving jar could be used for. Overall worth the read!
May 1, 2013
Straight-forward, sensible, covers all the basics but felt a bit like an extended magazine article. Her basic principles seem sound and I liked that we were already doing some of the things she advocates. I like how concise it was but I'm glad I got it on sale because otherwise I might have felt short-changed.
October 17, 2016
Such a fast read. A lot of great ideas in here, I did have a bit of a panic attack thinking about all of the lessons to teach the kids, and then calmed down realizing I had many many many years ahead to teach them so many important money lessons. But a great book to help get you thinking about talking to your kids about money and get them saving and spending their own money.
December 12, 2021
An overly long opinion piece that could have been covered in an article. Not much value here, a lot of common sense.
May 7, 2017
Quick read - easy to follow and no nonsense. I like to pick up books like these periodically to check where my thinking is in terms of money - I do like to spend and have to keep it in check. This book encourages allowing children to make money decisions and letting them fail now, so they don't fail when they get to college and get "free money" in the form of credit cards.
Helpful, fast read, nothing too fancy, but I gave 4 stars because it talks about helping kids with money, which can be easily forgotten
Helpful, fast read, nothing too fancy, but I gave 4 stars because it talks about helping kids with money, which can be easily forgotten
February 12, 2020
Highly recommend for any age. Started the envelope system with my teens and wish I had started years ago. Money does not come out of thin air and I was failing at teaching them to respect money as I did not respect money...This book is good to educate children and to create a system where they learn to buy what they save and save for their future etc. EASY SHORT READ with LOTS of great points.
December 22, 2022
Quick and direct read. Importance of planning money skills or who know what the kid will pick up.
I still don’t understand the 10% saving jar and when they get to spend that. The difference between that saving, planned saving for something specific, money for necessary expenses and then some money left for flexible spending ?????
Good question for reflecting on what plan to save for.
I still don’t understand the 10% saving jar and when they get to spend that. The difference between that saving, planned saving for something specific, money for necessary expenses and then some money left for flexible spending ?????
Good question for reflecting on what plan to save for.
November 10, 2022
Good advice
Watched her shows “til debt do us part” and “princess” so already knew a lot but now being a mom of young ones it’s a good reminder of how to get them to where they can be.
Already doing done stuff so I liked I was on a good path.
Watched her shows “til debt do us part” and “princess” so already knew a lot but now being a mom of young ones it’s a good reminder of how to get them to where they can be.
Already doing done stuff so I liked I was on a good path.
November 26, 2017
Like all of her books, I've learned alot. I just re-read most of it to get a firm footing on what to do with my 7 year old's allowance. Will continue to re-read as he gets older for new lessons.
February 20, 2019
Super straight forward. I read it in one evening. Great examples for what and how to educate children on finances from an early age. Loved it!
January 3, 2022
Great tips to set into motion some healthy habits for my kids!
January 10, 2022
Short, to the point, and actionable.
March 18, 2022
Fantastic, great concepts, clear take aways. A must read for parents.
March 23, 2022
Quick read. Lots of good tips. Everyone's situation is different so she isn't able to give specific numbers, but the concepts she discusses are great
January 10, 2023
Direct to the point. Fast read and lots of good tips!
June 19, 2023
Full of great tips and a really refreshing approach to kids. I was expecting really harsh stuff, but it meshed really well with our unschooling lifestyle
December 19, 2023
Easy, practical read with tons of great advice!
December 17, 2024
Short and sweet. Straight to the point. Valid tips about teaching kids money and things to think about.
January 12, 2025
To the point and practical.
December 31, 2025
Loved the lessons to take into account when talking with my kids and their money in the future. Will definitely be using the notes.
February 8, 2013
Money-Smart Kid$ written by Gail Vaz -Oxlade
In a society that is over-whelmed with debt, I encourage you to pick up this inexpensive paperback book. With so many books out there to read, why not pick up one for the entire family that gives you simple, easy to understand, common sense that was obviously neglected in our up-bringing.
It is an excellent idea that we commit to breaking with the debt tradition! With the ‘buck stops here’ attitude, sit down as a family and together go through 1 or 2 chapters at a time. There are only five short chapters! A total of only, 73 priceless, pages of money saving advice!
This is what we did, and enjoyed every minute of it!
I love the way Gail leaves room and even suggests small ways to tweak her outlines, while continuing to guide us to a profitable, debt-free, easy life-style.
I was also very impressed with chapter 3! All to often addressing the usage of credit cards with our teens is pushed aside until it is too late. This need not be! Gail shows us how easy it is to give our children the understanding of using credit cards, thereby saving our next generation from debt disaster!
Money-Smart Kid$ has given us a sense of control and pride as adults, while simultaneously giving the younger ones an excellent start in establishing a sound concept of money managing.
This little, personal finance book has a permanent home on our family bookshelf to be shared for generations.
In a society that is over-whelmed with debt, I encourage you to pick up this inexpensive paperback book. With so many books out there to read, why not pick up one for the entire family that gives you simple, easy to understand, common sense that was obviously neglected in our up-bringing.
It is an excellent idea that we commit to breaking with the debt tradition! With the ‘buck stops here’ attitude, sit down as a family and together go through 1 or 2 chapters at a time. There are only five short chapters! A total of only, 73 priceless, pages of money saving advice!
This is what we did, and enjoyed every minute of it!
I love the way Gail leaves room and even suggests small ways to tweak her outlines, while continuing to guide us to a profitable, debt-free, easy life-style.
I was also very impressed with chapter 3! All to often addressing the usage of credit cards with our teens is pushed aside until it is too late. This need not be! Gail shows us how easy it is to give our children the understanding of using credit cards, thereby saving our next generation from debt disaster!
Money-Smart Kid$ has given us a sense of control and pride as adults, while simultaneously giving the younger ones an excellent start in establishing a sound concept of money managing.
This little, personal finance book has a permanent home on our family bookshelf to be shared for generations.
March 19, 2023
I didn't like this book. Am not a big fan of non fiction. And this book just didn't make me want to pick it up.
March 12, 2015
I do not have kids, I read this book to look at my own values regarding money, but it is a well-organized and articulated method for building skills at age-appropriate levels to develop good financial habits later in life. Revolutionary? Probably not: you could likely think out most of the lessons. However, this plan is well-thought out and can be of great help if there was something lacking in your education that now you will have trouble passing on to your kids, e.g. Most generations did not get any education in credit cards because our parents didn't have them. There's so much to teach kids, I think it can only be of a help to have one lesson thought out for you, a starting place for you to make it your own.
November 17, 2013
Clear, practical advice for parents on teaching your children about money. Basic premise: how can your children learn how to manage money unless you give them some? My daughter divides up her weekly allowance into 5 separate jars: saving (for university), saving (for an ipod), gifts (for friends and brothers), charity and mad money. Looking forward to reading older books by this author and I have already put my name on a waiting list for her newest release. I will be checking out her show on t.v. too. Great website as well.
August 28, 2016
Simple and to the point. Looking forward to teaching my kid good financial habits.
Gail recommends splitting the allowance in 4: savings, sharing, planned spending, mad money. She recommends using jars.
Also she recommends starting at age 6 but we are considering it at 5, partly as a way to make him realize how expensive Lego sets are :)
The amount recommended is a dollar for each year in age. (7$ for a 7 year old)
Rule of thumb: 10% in savings, 5% for sharing, Also, don't tie allowance to chores.
Gail recommends splitting the allowance in 4: savings, sharing, planned spending, mad money. She recommends using jars.
Also she recommends starting at age 6 but we are considering it at 5, partly as a way to make him realize how expensive Lego sets are :)
The amount recommended is a dollar for each year in age. (7$ for a 7 year old)
Rule of thumb: 10% in savings, 5% for sharing, Also, don't tie allowance to chores.
January 24, 2016
If there's ONE parenting book I think all my friends, acquaintances, neighbours, etc should read, it's this one!
This is the best parenting book I've read. This concept and skill is a life lesson that is so important to teach and the best place for kids to learn money management is at home.
"Money management is the term for a whole bunch of individual skills wrapped up in one neat little package. But each of the skills needs to be introduced, practiced and reinforced. And each takes time to acquire."
This is the best parenting book I've read. This concept and skill is a life lesson that is so important to teach and the best place for kids to learn money management is at home.
"Money management is the term for a whole bunch of individual skills wrapped up in one neat little package. But each of the skills needs to be introduced, practiced and reinforced. And each takes time to acquire."
February 5, 2012
I'd have to admit there were some good idea's within this little book, but I'd also have to admit that I would have liked a more clear and concise approach to teaching my children about money management. Large portions of certain chapters jumped around a lot. It's definately a book that will have to be re-read during differen stages of my childs financial journey.
I would not use this as a sole resource but as an additave to your plan for teaching your children about finance.
I would not use this as a sole resource but as an additave to your plan for teaching your children about finance.
February 26, 2016
I am a big fan of Gail Vaz-Oxlade. I used to love watching her tv show 'Til Debt Do Us Part.
I enjoyed the way this book was written (in Gail's usual straight-forward, no nonsense style), and appreciated that it was less than 100 pages. It was short and sweet!
I did find it to be a little bit extreme, though. I don't think that my family will implement many of her suggestions. However, I do often talk to my kids about money, and when I do, I will definitely use a few of her suggestions.
I enjoyed the way this book was written (in Gail's usual straight-forward, no nonsense style), and appreciated that it was less than 100 pages. It was short and sweet!
I did find it to be a little bit extreme, though. I don't think that my family will implement many of her suggestions. However, I do often talk to my kids about money, and when I do, I will definitely use a few of her suggestions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews