As I was working diligently on getting the kid’s finance course created, a curious thing happened that halted my progress… I got deployed to the Middle East.
That will do it.
That actually halted a lot of things.
But it’s ok, because the course is still coming (now in 2021).
I’ve been consistently publishing a new article every Tuesday, since the creation of Freedom Sprout a year ago. I will continue to post a new article every Tuesday, so you can count on that. I’m always getting new ideas, and open for you to suggest more!
I’ve also been working on the design of Freedom Sprout to make sure it’s the cleanest, most readable design possible (no ads, ever), and I spend hours reviewing each article to make sure I have the data to back up all my claims, and the latest studies to show you real results… and of course, the prettiest pictures.
Finally, I published a book this year and plan to publish my next book in December.
So what about this finance course? Well, it’s coming in 2021. I don’t want to put a specific date on it, but I feel like I can commit to a specific year (impressive, I know).
Basically this is going to be a video course where I walk you and your kids through financial topics, and instill that financially literacy in your children that they won’t get in school. If we start our kids off with the right mindset, we won’t have as many people digging their way out of piles of debt in their adult life.
This is a Bible-based course, but it’s applicable to everyone. While I will share some Scripture, and Christian principles, any one will benefit, and be empowered to help their kids understand money, by taking this course.
Let’s get down to what’s going to be in the course. These are the topics that will be covered…
Quick Note: Don’t forget that I do have a FREE 4-day email course available while you’re waiting for the complete course to be released.
1. Parent Finance 101
This is going to be an overview of basic finance. The idea is to equip you, as the parent, from the start. I’ll cover a few ideas on teaching children finance concepts, but mostly this is building the foundation of smart finances, and building your confidence. You can also expect:
- The basics of smart shopping and budgeting
- An overview of common financial pitfalls
- An overview of investing practices
2. The Importance of Work
This lesson will cover things like work ethic and grit. Learning the value of hard work happens through action and doing, but think of this as a precursor. You can also expect:
- How an allowance may not be the answer
- How to set up a pay system for your children
- How money comes from work, not mom and dad’s pockets
3. Understanding Financial Systems
Kids really don’t understand how money works on a basic level without being taught. There are things we know as adults that we don’t even realize we know. Things that are second nature. This lesson will be more of an overview of financial systems. You can expect:
- How banks, checking accounts and savings accounts work
- How insurance works and when/why it’s important
- An overview of the government and taxes
4. Important Investing Insights
A 5-year-old isn’t going to grasp the entire concept of investing. A 10-year-old will understand much more, and a teen can totally get it. In this lesson, I’ll go through the different levels of understanding, for different ages, and explain investing on a level each age can understand. You can expect:
- Investing vs. saving
- The simplicity of investing
- The importance of starting young
- The different reasons to start investing
- The one concept that was threaded through practically every one of the 200+ finance books I’ve read
5. Marketing and Advertising
I wrote an article for Simple Money magazine called, The Ad Threat, which delves into the marketing and advertising industry, and how it’s directed towards kids. If you aren’t subscribed to that magazine, you can see a more condensed, less-detailed version of the article here. This lesson will show you how to protect your kids. You can also expect:
- How children can battle marketing by being content
- How most marketing is directed towards children
- How to spot marketing instead of giving in to it
- The ultimate goal of marketing & advertising
6. Paying for College
College is a big one. I’ve written about how your kids can have a debt-free degree. This lesson will go into more detail on paying for college, saving and investing for college, and going to college without any debt. I even cover whether or not your kids should go to college. You can expect:
- Who’s financial responsibility is it?
- How to financially prepare for college
- The different methods to save for college
- The ways children can go to college without anyone going broke
- How people who work their way through college have better grades
7. The Dangers of Debt
Debt is what keeps Americans broke. In this lesson, I’ll dive into how you can instill a mindset in your kids that will lead them to prosperity, not debt. You can also expect:
- Real stories of people who have ruined their life with debt
- How most adults are climbing out of piles of debt
- How to avoid getting into consumer debt
8. The Importance of Giving
Possibly the most important lesson here? This one and the next. I go into everything your kids need to know about giving. You can give your kids a love for giving at a young age. You can also expect:
- Why everyone should give something
- How the tithe may or may not apply to us today
- The different ways to teach your child to love giving
9. Stewardship
To God, this is definitely the most important topic on here. If He trusts us with money, He wants to make sure we’re good stewards. I’ll cover some issues people run into with stewardship, and how to teach your kids to be good stewards of their money. You can also expect:
- The importance of taking care of what you own
- Leaving things better than you found them
- An interesting story about stewardship
10. Money Jars & Management
We’ve all heard of the give/save/spend jars. I’m not going to just explain that kids need three jars to learn how to manage money, we’ll go into much more detail on things like planning, budgeting, and setting goals. Your kids will learn to manage their money well. You can also expect:
- Which ages to start which jar
- The best way to use money jars as a teacher
- One or two more jars may be the key to financial success
Between the weekly article and the upcoming finance course, I’d say we’re doing a lot here at Freedom Sprout. The blog has grown tremendously since the launch in November of 2018. I’m expecting big things to happen and millions of kids to learn financial concepts that aren’t taught in school.
Sign up below to get notified when the course launches, and to get the weekly Freedom Finance Journal, which includes the latest Freedom Sprout article, and the other greats reads I find around the web each week (all personally read and hand selected).
Last Updated: October 9, 2020
