“Liz Frazier has been providing insightful family-friendly financial advice to Forbes readers for years. If ever there were an undernourished topic in our education system, it is financial planning. Beyond Piggy Banks is a breath of fresh air and must read for young parents who want their kids to grow up into “money smart” adults.”

“Liz Frazier has written a must-read for anyone wanting to teach financial education to their children…Read this book – and learn from one of the best. I’m constantly asked what my recommendation is from parents and caregivers on how they should teach children about money – and this is it! Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands: How to Teach Finance to Young Kids will be my go-to-guide for many years to come.” 

“I’m growing weary of a certain college student of mine asking me to Venmo him…(Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands) is utterly superlative if you want to teach your kids about money. It has: budgeting, leading by example, saving, and donating — from kindergarten on up. Highly recommended! Where were you 15 years ago, Liz Frazier?”

“We teach our kids to read, to do math, to help with chores, to share, but we often overlook financial literacy. Teaching money smarts should start at a young age, but with all the other “to-dos” of parenthood, it often gets overlooked. Understanding how to to manage and grow one’s money is crucial to having a successful life. After all, do you really want your jobless, asset-less middle-aged son to move back in someday? Enter Beyond Piggy Banks, a book even the busiest of moms can read it tiny chunks while hiding in the bathroom. It’s practical advice is presented in an entertaining and compelling way.” 

“One of the things my peers and i occasionally lament is that we weren’t taught basic financial literacy skills (how to write a check, balance a checkbook, open an account, save, etc.). As (mostly) first generation Americans, our parents were not in a position to give us these tools and neither was the school system interested in doing so.
Enter in this delightfully humorous and winsome approach to a topic all to often seen dauntingly! Financial literacy. And for kids at that!

Take a sigh of relief as the author does a phenomenal job giving the basics in an accessible way. I didn’t feel overwhelmed at all. She comes along side you like a patient coach calling plays all the while reminding you that these principles will take you a lifetime to teach and master.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and walking through it with my husband in preparation for instructing our children.

A MUST HAVE for any caregiver/parent who cares about the financial future of their children/grandchildren!”

“In clear and simple terms, and within the context of everyday activities and fun games, Liz Frazier lays the foundation for children to develop financial literacy. Her thesis is clear: children, as young as preschoolers, should begin to be taught to recognize the value of money and how to avoid potential pitfalls as they mature. This book provides ideas, strategies and resources to guide parents as to how best prepare children to emerge as smart consumers and financially healthy adults.” 

“ Liz Frazier has written an engaging, must-read guide for parents on how to teach a critical life skill – healthy financial habits – with their children. Filled with relevant facts, family activities and suggested discussions, parents and children alike can learn smart money skills.” 

“Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands: How To Teach Finance To Young Kids is a comprehensive yet easy to read guide. What better gift can we give our children than the ability to plan for and make smart choices about their future? As a teacher and parent, I appreciate the literary connections and online resources to support the lessons taught. I especially value the use of real life activities that parents can engage their child in at every developmental stage. This book inspires parents and teachers to teach children how to problem solve and learn finance for themselves through real hands-on experiences.” 

“Liz Frazier’s book, Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands, provides an easy-to-follow roadmap for parents to teach financial literacy to their elementary-aged kids. Comprehensive and detailed, it still allows the flexibility of depth and subjects, based on each child’s skills and interest. Liz’s humor coupled with interesting facts makes a seemingly daunting and complex subject an easy and light-hearted read, without the need for a background in financial knowledge. A great resource for all parents!”

Goodreads 5 Stars: “Have you ever read a book and thought, “Dang, I wish MY parents had had that book when I was younger?!” That’s the thought that kept running through my head with every page turn. “Beyond Piggy Banks & Lemonade Stands: How to Teach Young Kids About Finance (and They’re Never too Young),” by Liz Frazier is the BEST! I learned an incredible amount of information related to finances, saving, budgeting, goals, money (in general), tips/tricks, etc!

She goes into great detail with every phase of life that your child or children enter. The concepts are easily broken down with “bite-size” pieces for parents to read and follow along and put into practice. It’s great because she acknowledges that not everyone is doing great financially – but that’s the whole point of the book – so that we, as the “next generation” of parents, can help guide our kids down the right path to *hopefully* avoid financial failure in the future!

Each chapter of the book has several ideas on fun games to play with your kids that introduce them to different aspects of how finances work. For example, for the slightly older kiddos, there’s a section about setting up a grocery store. Gather a bunch of folks that you’re close to and everyone plays a specific role – store owner, customer, baker, produce section attendee, cashier, etc. Let your child play each role to get a feel for how being in that role would actually be like in real life! There’s always an angry/irritable client who wants to argue price; the store owner wants to mark up prices to make more money; the cashier may choose to be lazy and not get those $0.02 from you that you owe, so you get less coins back (makes it easier on the cashier – but would be a way to “throw” your kiddos off!). You get the idea!

Each chapter ends with a list of resources for you as the parent to help your kids further along. Do you have ANY IDEA how many APPS there are to help children build their financial smarts?! Apps that my 2 year old could benefit of! APPS that teenagers could enjoy that will definitely help them throughout their school careers! Another great resource that’s included are a lot of books/authors who have taken the time to teach certain practices/ideas to kids while simultaneously making it fun to read! Not everything about finances has to be boring to kids – it can be quite fun – especially if they get to follow flawed characters around while they’re learning what NOT to do themselves!
Not only is this a great book about savings, investments, and all of that jazz. It’s an excellent resource for teaching kids about the less fortunate and how to share! (Man – that can be SUCH a scary word when it’s related to money). But Ms. Frazier doesn’t just specify that kids should be sharing money – she goes into a plethora of other ways that kids can share. For instance, they can share their time, by volunteering at a soup kitchen or local animal shelter. They can share their “like new” toys with less fortunate children to make room for any new toys they might be gifted for their birthdays or Christmas. There are excellent resources listing a lot of great programs/places that kids can share or volunteer!

My husband and I already had/have several ideas that we want to implement with our kids in the future – and we’ve mentioned a handful of times to them that “mommy and daddy don’t have the money for that”; but being as my kids are only 1 and 2 at the moment, we really hadn’t started with them yet (not to mention, “mommy and daddy” aren’t in such a great financial spot themselves at the moment LOL). We’ve taken the proper steps to ensure our futures with setting up our 401K’s, investing in buying a home and other steps like that – but we’re definitely still of the living paycheck to paycheck bunch; like the majority of folks I know!
The best part of this book (in my opinion) can be broken down into two parts. One, it’s a book that I’ll be keeping on my bookshelves for YEARS to come. Two, this book touches on everything from the quintessential piggy bank, to investing, to taxes, to entrepreneurial activities (lemonade stand, anyone?) and beyond. It’s a great way to show your kids the basics and the complicated structure of the financial world. I simply can’t wait to begin introducing these concepts to my kids – and I encourage you, my readers, to do the same!”

Frazier proposes that even preschoolers are old enough to begin learning financial concepts in this straightforward and supportive guide. Frazier, a certified financial planner, is also a parent; from both perspectives, she guides parents toward, among other things, helping their children develop a positive attitude toward managing money and understanding how to make and meet financial goals. Age-appropriate information and activities are offered for children from pre-K through fifth grade, as are reading lists and online resources for parents to use as they incorporate financial education into their kids’ lives, such as by setting limits on spending at events or creating milestones in savings. Making extra money and finding work outside the home are key subjects in Frazier’s plan, which emphasizes that dealing with one’s own hard-earned cash is a pivotal real-life learning experience. An exceptional chapter on sharing focuses on charity, generosity, and why knowing the good that money can accomplish is as important as understanding how it works. This approachable book should alleviate any anxiety parents have about teaching their kids how to handle money. 

The summer lemonade stand is a rite of passage for all kids. It is usually the first time a child gets to create their own business. They learn about the hard work it involves but also learn of its rewards, monetary and other. For my two girls, it was a lemonade and Oreo cookie stand so that they could broaden their potential “target audience.” It was quite the learning experience for them. They quickly learned that the 11-year-old was best at drawing in the customers, while the 14-year-old had better serving and counting skills. I watched as my girls learned how to market themselves and the product, how to make their customers happy and then how to manage their earnings.

As a mom to two young girls, I believe that one way we as parents can prepare our kids for a better financial future is to teach them the fundamentals of finance. That is why I love Liz Frazier’s new book “Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands.” It takes off from the basics of financial literacy we as parents impart to our kids and goes beyond that summer lemonade stand. What happens after your kids have made that $10 in coins and dollar bills? How do they budget? How much should be spent now, what should be saved for later and what is given to charity?