Smart, Not Spoiled: The 7 Money Skills Kids Must Master Before Leaving the Nest

by Chad Willardson

Two-thirds of American parents today think their children are spoiled. From toys and laptops to smartphones and cars, our kids have grown increasingly entitled in what they believe we should do for them.

Kids may not appreciate the value of a dollar, but it’s hard to blame them. After all, what have they learned about money? Managing finances is rarely covered in schools, and as a parent, you probably don’t know where to start. How do you provide a strong foundation of financial knowledge for your kids with these gaps? What should they learn each year? How do you teach a skill set you never received yourself?

In Smart, Not Spoiled, financial expert and best-selling author Chad Willardson provides you with practical tools, tips, and stories that will help you teach the kids in your life how to think about money. Chad explores the seven skills your kids should know — and master — before they’re adults and helps you improve the financial literacy of everyone in your household. When it comes to financial success, you want your kids informed and prepared. This book is your chance to learn together so that the new path you forge for future generations is the right one.

Genres: Parenting, Finance, Nonfiction, Reference, Education, Economics

Audible Audio

Published October 28, 2021

About the author

Chad Willardson, CFF, CRPC®, and AWMA®, is the President of Pacific Capital, a fiduciary wealth advisory firm he founded in 2011 that serves entrepreneurs and their families. He is the author of four bestselling books, the co-founder of GravyStack, a banking app that helps kids manage money, the co-host of The Smart Money Parenting Show, the #2 Podcast on Apple worldwide for Parenting, Kids & Family, and the founder of the ELEVATED Entrepreneur Coaching Program. Chad also manages the 660 million dollar investment portfolio as the elected City Treasurer in his community. He is recognized as one of the top wealth management experts in the country, writes for Entrepreneur magazine, serves on the Forbes Business Council for entrepreneurs, and has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., CNBC, NASDAQ, Yahoo Finance, U.S. News & World Report, InvestmentNews, Entrepreneur, and Financial Advisor Magazine. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Amber, and their five children.

Reviews

[Kary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chad is so solid and his topic is incredibly important. As the father of 3 teenagers I found the book incredibly relevant and helpful. We want to provide for our kids, but we don't want to make them entitled. Read this book for a proven framework on how to make this balance possible.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on a goodreads giveaway.
I really enjoyed this book. Even though I am knowledgeable on the content, I am no expert so there were a couple things I picked up. You can tell the author is wealthy, but don't let that stop you from learning his tips and ideas which are for anyone, including adults, but especially parents raising kids. I had a good example growing up on how to live within your means, which I adopted and hope to pass this behavior down to my kids. I am very strong at budgeting money, and it really keeps you in control of your money, so it doesn't control your life instead (would love to have a side career helping others achieve this). Financial stress is hard enough when you're in the black, I can't imagine being in the red. There were many good quotes in this book. The book also gives you another perspective on what you already knew, but now can look at it or understand it in an additional way. I will continue to do my best with our financial plan, and will hopefully pass along some of these skills to my own children. And one day, fingers crossed, they too will read this book!

[James Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great ideas that I can instill in my kids

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is for wealthy people. The board game about the stock market that was suggested multiple times throughout the book to help teach kids about investing costs between 70-90 bucks online. For a board game. And the author encourages talking to and teaching kids about mutual funds and other words I can't remember because I don't speak finance--- and that's probably ok since our family budgets between now and forever don't include giving our 13 yr old an investment portfolio. Am sure the information in the book is helpful to people opppsed to taxing the rich because they are the rich- that is not me. I knocked this down from 2 to 1 star because the author's obvious distaste for inheritance taxes on the wealthy made me barf in my mouth a little.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLEASE NOTE: I received a Kindle edition of this title from a GoodReads giveaway. The opinions in this review are my own.

This is an excellent resource for parents (and financially-minded teachers) to help them decide what to teach children of all ages about money. It helped me take a look at my own finances and to be more mindful of what I teach the children concerning money.

[Philip S. Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading…

This book does a nice job of introducing key concepts and giving a basic overview of their application. It’s a great place to start a discussion of money and it’s use. It still leaves latitude for the parent to implement over the long haul. Worth reading early, and maybe again as you go.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Smart, Not Spoiled is a game-changer, offering clear and practical advice to help anyone take control of their money. It breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-understand tips that empower readers to build a stronger financial future.

[Michele Rice Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

There's a lot of good information in this book. It's perfect for homeschooling, or for family learning. This book would also be useful to many adults. So, I recommend this book to most everyone.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

a mixed bag

There are some good tid bits in the book. I’m glad to have won a copy on good reads. While some good info, some also comes from a point of view of a white main who lives in a very nice area in S California.

[Jileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was good info but it ended up making me feel guilty because I didn’t start investing when my children were a twinkle in my eye. So definitely read this book if you have small children. And definitely invest when they are young… at least that is what the author suggests. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Renee Toone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, with several realistic and helpful suggestions. The audiobook is a bit monotone though, so make sure to listen will doing something that will keep you awake, I listened while I went on long morning walks.

[david Colclough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, practical advice

I disagree with other reviews that say the advice in this book is only for the rich. Everything can be applied to any family. Advice is pretty good. Writing is straightforward and clear.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good starter book and I like the longterm thinking behind it.

It gets only three stars is because he's more Dave Ramsey than I am, so not all his skills are ones I would use.

[chad willardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful for parents!!

Teaches parents how to start having money conversations in the family. Very easy to read. Lots to learn here for families.

[Sara Annis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though a lot of the ideas were not new to me, I appreciated his perspective/reinforcement. This book is worth your time.