Talk about a good life. It’s the first day of summer vacation. You’re hanging out, floating on your diamond-encrusted inflatable alligator in your backyard wave pool, nestled beside your 36-bedroom mansion. Oh, and just for a little added fun, when you’re not texting your friends, you’re sipping some kind of fizzy drink and thinking, “Man, this is sweet. I’ve got it made in the shade.”
(Insert finger snap here.)
Okay, let’s take a quick detour back to reality, shall we?
No doubt about it, for most of us, life is a little more about digging around in our laundry baskets looking for a clean pair of socks than daydreaming by the pool. And I’m just going out on a limb here, but I bet you don’t live in a mansion (although if you do, feel free to call me for lunch, dahling).
But here’s the thing. If you’re reading this book, there’s a really good chance that you have at least one pair of shoes. And if you wanted to grab breakfast this morning? No problem. You just opened the refrigerator door or the pantry and swiped some cereal or at least a piece of fruit and a slice of last night’s pizza. In other words, you’ve got enough cash to pay for life’s necessities and necessaries.
The truth is you, me, and the kids in your school have got luck on our side. As a bunch of economists like to remind us, we’re part of the top 2 percent of the world’s population when it comes to opportunities and cash we have access to. In other words, the other 98 percent of the kids around the world have less money than we do.
But is it really that simple? We’re lucky, so we have no money worries that keep us up at night? Of course not. Even though we know we’ve got it going on in the money department, let’s not forget that it costs a lot of dough to live in developed countries. Maybe little two-bedroom bungalows on your street are being sold for $750,000 right now. That’s the reality in some large cities around the world. Or that bag of potato chips in your hand? What did that set you back? A buck and a half? When I was a kid (which really wasn’t all that long ago...), I’d plunk down a quarter for a bag of some sour-cream-and-onion goodness.
The point is, the value of money is always changing, and no matter where you live in the world, that can stress you out. How much money do you need to live on? What would happen to you if your dad lost his job? Everybody else in the class seems to get $5 a week for allowance and you only get $2. How does that make you feel about your parents—and yourself?
Does money have a lot of power over our brains? Absolutely. When we feel we don’t understand how it works (what’s compound interest again?), it’s easy to get sucked into…
Guess what? Simply by reading this book, you’ve put yourself on the path to understanding money, respecting money, and feeling good about money. You’ve probably got a better handle on why people make what they make and how to raise cash and donate to world problems you want to change. Maybe you’ve done the math and now understand exactly how much money you need to save up to be a millionaire someday.
You’re like a superhero, you know. You’ve got power over money instead of feeling vulnerable or powerless. Money doesn’t control you. You control money.
Actually, you can do a lot. And although it’s easy to feel a little guilty about your good fortune, don’t! Seriously. Instead, look at it this way: You’ve got the chance to turn your incredible luck into action and make the world a better place.
Imagine…what would happen if U.S. kids took 10 percent of the $51 billion (a little over $5 billion) they spent on clothes, music, snacks, and entertainment in one year and used it to do some good for people, the environment, or the oft-forgotten pink fairy armadillo? (Nope, I didn’t make that last one up. The little critters do exist.) Five billion dollars is said to be enough money to teach every kid and grown-up on the planet how to read.
Or imagine…a world where people spend only the money they make, and their trillion-dollar consumer debt is kicked to the curb.
Has all this talk about money got you revved up hotter than a racecar’s engine on a sweltering summer day? Cool. There are so many ways to learn more about money matters. And because you asked so nicely, I’ll tell you what they are:
Yup, you have the power to use money that builds eco-friendly cars, free schools in Nigeria, and chocolate bars that not only taste delish but are also created by people who are getting paid real money for the work.
Because remember, money is never just money, right? And now that you know it, too, spread the word. Tell your friends! Tell your grandma! Tell your math teacher! Who knows? Maybe you’ll use all this newfound money wisdom to launch the first Nigerian Chocolate Eco-School Bus™. Hey, stranger things have happened.
And guess what? If you pull it off, I’ll be the first in line to buy a ticket and take a ride. You can put money on it…
So what do you think? Do you really need to be worrying about stocks, bonds, income tax, student loans, and mortgages now? Of course not! Now that you’ve read about those terms and know what they mean (and what they mean to your life), you’ll do a lot less worrying about money and have a lot more fun with it instead.
So get out there and become an entrepreneur, form a money club with your friends and follow the stock market, or simply pick up an awesome shirt at a cut-rate price. Being smart about money is going to give you tons of confidence in other areas of your life, too.
Because now you know the truth about how much power money has and you’ve harnessed its high-wattage energy.
And the secret life of money? It’s not so secret anymore.
