The Art of Allowance Podcast | Parenting | Families | Money Smarts | Financial Literacy

In this episode of The Art of Allowance Podcast, host John Lanza and personal finance expert Laura Adams discuss how to introduce investing to children in a way that fosters agency rather than anxiety. They explore various investment vehicles such as 529 plans, IRAs, custodial accounts and the new Trump accounts, emphasizing the importance of understanding the goals behind investing for kids. Their conversation also covers strategies for engaging young investors, the significance of starting early and common mistakes made by young adults in their financial journeys. Laura also shares insights on how parents can instill good investing habits in their children and the role of financial institutions in promoting financial literacy. Laura Adams is a money expert, an award-winning author and the host of the top-rated Money Girl Podcast, with more than 40 million downloads. Her mission is simple: to make complex financial topics easy to understand so people can make wise choices and live richer lives. Laura has completed over 3,000 interviews with top national outlets, including ABC World News, CBS, FOX, NBC News and NPR. In print and online, her practical advice has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Consumer Reports and Forbes. A recipient of an MBA from the University of Florida, Laura lives in Vero Beach with her husband.

Host John Lanza and returning guest Cameron Huddleston discuss the financial challenges faced by recent college graduates and the strategies parents can use to support their children transitioning into adulthood. They cover topics such as drafting a launch contract for monetary support, navigating job searches in a challenging market, establishing a minimum viable money system, understanding credit and obtaining appropriate legal and financial documents. John and Cameron's conversation emphasizes the need for open communication between parents and adult children regarding financial expectations and responsibilities as well as the importance of teaching money smarts and mindfulness. Cameron Huddleston is the author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations with Your Parents About Their Finances. She is also an award-winning journalist with nearly 25 years of experience writing about personal finance. Her work has appeared in AARP, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, the Chicago Tribune, Forbes Advisor, Yahoo Finance and many more print and online publications.

In this Art of Allowance Podcast episode, host John Lanza speaks with guest Steve Bugg about what it takes to build money-smart families and communities. Steve is the CEO of Great Lakes Credit Union, one of our partners engaging kids and empowering parents through The Money Mammals powered by The Art of Allowance. He and John discuss the role of technology in financial education, the challenges of connecting with schools and the future of credit unions in promoting financial literacy. Steve also shares how his approach to teaching financial responsibility has evolved from parenting to grandparenting, emphasizing the value of starting early and building strong money habits. Steve Bugg is the President and CEO of Great Lakes Credit Union, which boasts over 100,000 members in Northern Illinois. After working in the banking and telecommunications industries, Steve joined the credit union movement 17 years ago. His dedication to serving underserved markets through financial literacy, housing counseling and community partnerships has led him to collaborate with numerous nonprofit and industry organizations, including the Lake County Community Foundation, Waukegan Public Library, Illinois Credit Union League Legislative Committee and National Credit Union Foundation Fundraising Committee. A University of Evansville graduate, Steve is a passionate advocate for improving the financial well-being of low- and moderate-income households.

In this Art of Allowance Podcast conversation, host John Lanza speaks with guest Tony Steuer about the importance of financial preparedness for young adults, particularly new college graduates. They begin by discussing The Get Ready Blueprint, Tony's comprehensive guide to managing finances. Tony also shares key financial tips, including the significance of insurance and the common monetary mistakes young adults make. Additionally, he and John highlight the emotional elements of financial decision-making, the role of AI in financial literacy and the importance of asking the right questions to build confidence in financial matters. Tony Steuer is an internationally recognized financial preparedness advocate, award-winning author, podcaster and fintech advisor who is changing the way people think about money. Tony developed The Get Ready Money Club and hosts The Get Ready Money Podcast to empower and educate people on all areas of personal finance. He is also an expert content reviewer for NerdWallet and Bankrate, a member of The Forbes Advisor Insurance Advisory Board and a five-time recipient of The Institute for Financial Literacy's "Excellence in Financial Literacy Education" Award.

During this episode of The Art of Allowance Podcast, host John Lanza speaks with guest Courtney Fulmer, the newly appointed President/Chief Executive Officer of SECNY Federal Credit Union. They begin by discussing the opportunities credit unions have to combat America's "financial illiteracy epidemic" and the role these institutions play in providing psychological support to their members. Courtney then shares how her journey teaching her son money smarts evolved, how her family influenced her financial decision-making and how her colorguard experiences impacted her credit union leadership. She also emphasizes the need for empathy and community support when offering financial education. Courtney Fulmer is the President/Chief Executive Officer of SECNY Federal Credit Union in Syracuse, NY. She has worked at this institution for over 20 years in various operations, marketing and business development roles. Courtney initiated youth programming at SECNY, which has been a Money Mammals and an Art of Allowance Project partner for nearly a decade. She is also a colorguard staff instructor for her high school alma mater and serves as Secretary of the New York State Field Band Conference. Courtney received her degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University and resides in Syracuse with her husband and teenage son.

In this special episode, host John Lanza teams up with Stacking Benjamins Podcast host and previous Art of Allowance Podcast guest Joe Saul-Sehy to interview author Jon Acuff. These three dads discuss parenting challenges and strategies, particularly regarding teaching teens about money and life skills. They also explore the importance of empathy when parenting, the role of repetition in financial education and the value of kids' seeking guidance from other adults. Their conversation emphasizes the need for parents to be open about their own money mistakes and to create a supportive environment in which their children can learn and grow. It also touches on the significance of self-awareness and the impact of overthinking in parenting. Jon Acuff is a New York Times bestselling author whose newest book is How Teens Win. He is also an INC Magazine Top 100 Leadership speaker who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences and in companies around the world. Jon's highly engaged social media followers and email subscribers look to him for his unique blend of humor, honesty and hope. He lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and two teenage daughters, with whom he co-wrote How Teens Win.

Host John Lanza talks with guest Andy Hill about the journey from burdensome debt to financial freedom and, in particular, navigating such an experience with kids. Andy explains what his allowance system entails, how to communicate the power of compound interest and why he thinks modeling matters most when teaching money smarts. He also shares how he and his wife made changes in their own lives to be better financial models for their children, especially in the area of giving. Additionally, John and Andy discuss raising money-smart kids in spite of financial shame, having open money conversations, introducing the flex allowance, explaining good and bad debt, celebrating money wins and building up generosity. Andy Hill is the award-winning family finance coach behind Marriage Kids and Money, a platform dedicated to helping families build wealth and happiness. Andy's advice has been featured on or in CNBC, Forbes, MarketWatch, Kiplinger Personal Finance and NBC News. With millions of podcast downloads and video views, Andy's message of family financial empowerment resonates globally.

Guest Dr. Ashley LeBaron-Black returns to the podcast to talk with host John Lanza about her research focus of family finance. Ashley first defines the terms "financial well-being" and "financial socialization." She then highlights the importance of family modeling and open discussion on the money-smart journey. Ashley also emphasizes the essential nature of experiential learning and the shortcomings of classroom financial literacy. Both she and John then address the concept of money scripts, the ability of some kids (dubbed "financial phoenixes") to overcome poor modeling and the need to go beyond rational-based instruction. Dr. Ashley LeBaron-Black is an Assistant Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University who received her PhD in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona. Her research focus is family finance, including couple finance and financial socialization. Ashley has published 33 peer-reviewed articles and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Family and Economic Issues. She is also Chair of the Family Financial Well-Being Focus Group for the National Council on Family Relations.

Self-professed "money disaster" Joe Saul-Sehy shares his experiences with and insights on raising money-smart kids with host John Lanza. Joe recounts his own credit card debacle, which influenced how he approached money with his twins. He shares how he introduced them to money when they were young, his family's allowance system, his "circling back" strategy and how he tackled money conversations. He also discusses money tracking, the difference between saving and investing and responsible debt management. Additionally, Joe and John touch on the loneliness epidemic, the importance of financial coaching, having the freedom to make money mistakes and not making a purchase without a payment plan. Joe Saul-Sehy learned from failure. Destroying his credit immediately after leaving home, he had to gain financial experience the hard way. Ironically, he learned many lessons as a financial advisor. (Yes, he was telling other people how to manage their money!) After 16 years in the industry, he moved to financial media and created Stacking Benjamins, one of the most streamed podcasts in the personal finance sphere. He also co-authored the book Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management. Joe lives in Texarkana with his spouse, Cheryl, and cat, Cooper, and records shows in his mom's next-door basement.

Looking for some fresh perspective on your family's money-smart journey? Kevin Kelly's approaches to finances are sure to be conversation starters. Kevin is the Senior Maverick at Wired, an award-winning magazine he co-founded in 1993. He is also the co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking, and the founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. What's more, Kevin has authored multiple best-selling books about the future of technology. His newest one, Excellent Advice for Living, contains 450 modern proverbs for a pretty good life. Kevin is someone who podcaster and author Tim Ferriss has described as the real-life "most interesting man in the world." I love his writing and the radical optimism for which he is well known. (If you can't tell, he is one of my intellectual heroes.) I hope you enjoy our wide-ranging discussion, which touches on topics from billionaires and dying broke to protopias and traveling Asia.

My latest podcast guest, Megan McCoy, offers strategies for partners to address their differences and realign their intentions on a money-smart journey. We also dive into negative financial self-fulfilling prophecies, why financial opposites attract, avoiding financial fights, the power of delayed gratification and the problem with financial education in the classroom. Megan holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from The University of Georgia. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Kansas State University's personal financial planning program, where she teaches courses at all levels focused on financial well-being, financial therapy and couple dynamics regarding financial therapy. What's more, Megan is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an Accredited Financial Counselor® and a Certified Financial Therapist-I™. Megan's research interests focus on financial therapy, financial well-being and financial communication. She has published over forty articles in top-tier mental health, family science, financial counseling and financial planning journals. Megan has been featured as a financial well-being expert for The Today Show, The New York Times, NPR, BBC, The Wall Street Journal and many other media outlets.

Are you curious about strategies for setting your kids up for financial success from an early age? Chelsea Brennan, founder of Smart Money Mamas, is on a mission to help moms build meaningful wealth without the hustle. As an ex-hedge fund manager turned financial educator, Chelsea now invests in helping thousands of moms heal their money mindset to own their financial power and grow lasting holistic wealth. Her proven strategies positively impact her clients, their families, and their communities by developing the building blocks for a lasting and powerful financial legacy for future generations. Chelsea is a National Financial Education Instructor. She has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Scary Mommy, and Boss Mom. When she isn't working on getting more money into the hands of mamas, Chelsea can be found reading fantasy books, doodling, or going on adventures with her husband and 2 young boys in Connecticut.

How can you and your kids overcome emotional ties to learn to use money as a tool? Self-proclaimed "financial cheerleader" Veronica Dangerfield provides you with a pep talk on this episode of The Art of Allowance Podcast. In addition to being an international speaker, a published poet and a professional comedienne, Veronica is an award-winning Financial Educator for Patelco Credit Union. Most notably, she was honored with the 2017 Credit Union Rock Star Award and twice received the national Desjardins Award for her contributions to adult financial literacy. A graduate of Sacramento State University, Veronica has also taught financial literacy for 18 years at the college level as well as at dozens of high schools and nonprofit organizations throughout California. And as a philanthropist, she has supported the Bay Area Crisis Nursery for six years as a producer of and performer in the annual Mother's Day Comedy Show fundraiser.