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Monday Night Finance- Volume 27

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Monday, 17 August 2020 / Published in Monday Night Finance

Monday Night Finance- Volume 27

Kids Books About Money: 10 Children’s Stories to Develop Financial Literacy and Empowermennt

Anyone with kids has probably had to try to explain money to them at some point in time. Even if you’re not having direct conversations with kids about money, they’re constant observers. Many of the financial lessons I learned from my parents weren’t from teaching moments, but instead I learned from secretly overhearing adult conversations. If you have a nagging feeling that you “should be doing something” about teaching kids about money, reading books together can be a place to start. Not only will the kids understand money from the context of the book, but the stories provide a launching point for conversations about money within your own family.

Over time, my obvious tricks of getting my kids interested in money books have worked. Now, they call for them by name. Maybe they are being nice to their nerdy Dad, but I don’t mind. I think they’re going to grow up to be super happy, wealthy and generous kids. ~Marriage Kids and Money

In this post, Andy from Marriage Kids and Money describes some of his favorite children’s books about money. The list is full of picture books perfect for reading to kids under 10 years old. For each book, Andy lists the ideal age range and some money lessons that the book teaches. While there are some classics on the list, including the Berenstain Bears and L’il Critter, there are plenty of modern books as well. I was surprised to read that some books mention FinTech companies and debit cards for kids. Check out the post for a list of potential bed time stories.

Be an Outlier. Interview Series | Meet Bryce, A Focused Minimalist’s Approach to FI/RE

The FI/RE movement is comprised of individuals who work towards becoming financially independent and then retiring early to pursue other dreams. Over the past few years, the FIRE movement has captured the imagination of the mainstream media with many articles highlighting people’s extreme frugality causing deprivation. While these extreme examples are great at attracting readers, they’re not a representative cross section of people in the movement.

Imagine being able to spend time with someone who’s living the life you want. Someone who’s living a life that most people only dream of. From traveling the world, to working remotely, to being financially independent and retired early (FI/RE)… and beyond. In other words, being an outlier! ~Screw the Average

In this article, Shannon and Sergio, of Screw the Average, interview Bryce, a Network Engineer who recently retired early. Bryce details his path to FIRE. He describes in great detail his career including how he climbed the corporate ladder and increased his income. Early in his career, he used this money to buy “toys” such as fast cars and motorcycles. However, this high paying job was taking a toll on him so he decided to shift focus to reduce his spending and hopefully retire early. Bryce’s frugal living allowed him to achieve early retirement. His current plans involve touring the US in a RAV4 he turned into a camper-van and decompressing from his job.

Make a Happiness List to Send Your Finance Goals into Warp Drive

If you’re reading this blog, you obviously care about money. But why do you care about money? You could just as easily be reading a blog about your favorite sports team or what features are predicted to be on the next iPhone. Maybe the question seems silly, since money is essential for our very existence. Without it, we’d starve and struggle to find shelter. But are merely working to amass wealth, or do you have a plan for that money?

Making this kind of list for yourself is another way of ensuring you’re in line with your goals and dreams. Mine have obvious tie-ins with my own dreams: building a mountain home surrounded by forests, world travel, and (obviously) getting the extra guac at Chipotle. ~We Want Guac

In this article, Darcy from We Want Guac shares her happiness list of the 10 things that make her the happiest and she encourages you to do the same. Creating a happiness list is a great way to focus your energy (and your money) to make sure it is being directed towards the things that make you the happiest in life. While this sounds obvious, sometimes it can be difficult. For instance, if you get offered a promotion with a higher salary with more responsibility, you may decide to not take the job if your happiness list is filled with family and other goals. Furthermore, the list can help summon willpower to save, even when difficult, by helping you see how it moves you closer to what makes you happy in life.

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What you can read next

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Monday Night Finance- Volume 19
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Monday Night Finance- Volume 41
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Monday Night Finance- Volume 21

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Barbara Ann Feeney
16-05-2016

I switched from pencil and paper on grid accounting paper, then to a Google spreadsheet, then to CountAbout. Really happy with how this app makes it easy to track how I doing, staying (or not) on budget.

 
‏@davepurcell
15-11-2016

I rarely tweet endorsements, but -- after years of using/hating Quicken, Countabout is awesome for tracking home budget/finances. Thx!

 
David M.
16-07-2016

CountAbout is as easy to use on my mobile as it is on the desktop and it provides me with the same or better information than Quicken.

 
Nate E.
05-02-2016

Fantastic! I finally found a great replacement for Quicken! CountAbout is entirely cloud-based, so you can access it from whatever OS you happen to be using. And the mobile app isn't hamstrung like Quicken's. No looking back for me, this is a great app and a great service!

 
My Bank Tracker
24-11-2016

...you won’t be bombarded with ads when you log in. Mint, for example, uses targeted ads to help keep the platform free. All in all, CountAbout could be a good choice for Quicken and Mint users who want to start fresh with their finances without losing their past transaction history.

 
Mark Goldfarb
20-01-2017

I love the software – nice and clean – the categories was a must have that your competitors are lacking.

 
Widgets to Compare Monthly Spending in Active Categories
17-02-2017

Huzzah! I can add widgets now and already made one to compare my monthly spending in my active categories to my budget. Excellent. That tool is one of my favorite features in a personal finance product.

 
Shirley Hou
CountAbout was Perfect
15-03-2017

I was looking for finance software to use as treasurer of the parent-teacher association at my child's school. CountAbout was perfect - it had all the register features and download capabilities that I was familiar with from desktop Quicken, but it has the advantage of being in the cloud so I can use it from any computer.

 
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Steve P.
22-09-2017

My search for a cloud-based alternative to Quicken is over! Very easy to transfer my Quicken data and customize my account. Thank you CountAbout!

 
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Jim Powell
17-03-2018

Vastly superior to the execrable Quicken, which caused me to have to choose a new bank password every time I used it. CA is fast, simple, and all you need unless you have a complicated investment portfolio. Its almost fun!

 
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Jeffrey Wilk
02-04-2018

Great product and great customer service. Thanks!

 
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Nancy
10-08-2018

I love CountAbout! I have hated Quicken for years, but didn't have an alternative. Now I do! I love that the cost is only $9.99 per year for the basic service (which is all I need). You can upgrade for more features, if you need them. But for personal use, the basic plan is just fine. When I found CountAbout, I gleefully gave Quicken the boot and I haven't looked back or missed it at all. Bye bye Quicken!!!

 
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Dana Linder
29-03-2019

This is an incredibly well thought out program.

It imports QIF files perfectly. I tried a number that failed miserably.

It has a function that emails reminders about scheduled transactions. That is an extremely useful function that I hadn't seen anywhere.

Tech support is second to none. All my questions were answered in detail within hours (sometimes minutes).

The companion phone app is very simple. You can browse, search, enter transactions and see scheduled transaction. That's really all you need on the phone.

It's one failing for me is that I have a transaction that I have a transaction that occurs on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, and it's not possible to set that up. It's easy enough for me to change the date of next transaction when I enter the current one.

I am extremely impressed with the company. The trial is free for 15 days. You have nothing to lose.

 
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Keith Hurst
22-05-2020

I've been trying to ditch Quicken for years, finally a worthy replacement, but it's so much more, so clean and intuitively designed. I was really surprised and delighted to find a full featured iphone app that meets all my needs.

 
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Amanda Sherlock
25-08-2020

I started using Quicken in 1987, before I had my own PC. I continued using it for years, frustrated by the frequent breaks in the synchronization. Finally I took the leap and used Mint for a year or two. Free software is worth as much as I pay for. Finally, in 2019 I found Countabout. The synchronization is great and I am happy to have a product that's easy to use and reliable. The customer support is excellent and very responsive to my questions.
There aren't as many bells and whistles as Quicken but the simplicity outweighs the complications.

 

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CountAbout® is an easy-to-use online personal finance application that imports data from Quicken and Mint and automatically downloads data from banking, credit card, and retirement accounts. With no software to install, we’re anywhere you have an Internet connection. Our platform is stable, secure, and totally private. Our dedicated customer service team is friendly, knowledgeable, and quick to respond.

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