Michigan Jumpstart Coalition

Money Night Talk

Rebuilding from our financial crisis, the importance of good financial education is becoming more widely embraced. I often wonder how we got to this dismal state of financial wherewithal in the first place. Logically, we shouldn’t struggle with money as much as we do. It would make sense that tried and true behaviors were taught and carried through the generations.

Unfortunately discussions regarding money are often taboo or only superficial at best. In my book Wealth Is a Choice, Principal 16 is titled appropriately - Share the Wealth of Experiences (good and bad). I believe, as probably most of us do, that we have much to share and learn from others in order to make better decisions with money. We just need to do it (share) effectively.

Jean Chatzky, financial journalist and JumpStart member, is hosting a National Money Night Talk for Thursday September 16th leading the way for parents and children to talk about money. She’s encouraging everyone to go to www.moneynighttalk.com for helpful videos, material and dialogue starters. The information is age specific, having a “Tips for the Talk” section with great resources for middle school, high school and college.

I spoke with Jean about the event and she is genuine in her effort to increase the financial education around the country. She personally wrote the material herself, and will be reviewing the welcomed feedback at www.moneynighttalk.com. Her latest book, Not Your Parents’ Money Book, was largely written through her discussions and experiences with students. She’ll be using and sharing the information learned tomorrow night to help improve future events. So please be sure to share your thoughts and ideas with her. Teachers can use the opportunity as an excellent homework assignment.

Financial security is important, and especially to Michigander’s as we have more to recover from than much of the rest of the country. Let’s show the country how much we value financial education by visiting the site on Thursday September 15th and committing to having more open financial discussions with our children or parents.

Thanks!

James Studinger
Vice Chair – www.mijumpstartcoalition.org
Author – Wealth Is a Choice
www.jpstudinger.com