INTRODUCTION

THE

BEGIN­NING

What’s pie got to do with it?

Money. It’s a lot like an apple pie. Seriously. I’m not making it up. (Okay, maybe I am a little...)

A pie starts with a bunch of random ingredients: flour, shortening, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, butter, and apples. But then you throw them together in a super-precise way, stick the whole lot in a hot oven, give it some time…and voilà! It’s just you, a fork, and a half-empty pie plate.

Money’s like that, too. A single nickel in your pocket doesn’t have much of an impact on your life. Neither does a dime, a quarter, or even a dollar. But once you start mixing all those dollars and cents together—plus a bunch of other people and their funds—suddenly money really becomes something you can sink your teeth into.

People and Pie

• If they get their hands on a pie, some people will polish the whole thing off.
• Others will eat a tiny sliver and save the rest for later.
• Some feel guilty after they eat even one little slice of that luscious apple goodness. (Not me! Bring it.)
• Others demand more pie… even when they’ve had enough.

People and Money

• If they get their hands on a big wad of cash, some people will immediately run to the mall and spend the lot.
• Others will spend a tiny amount and save the rest for later.
• Some people feel guilty when they spend even a tiny fraction of their paycheck.
• Others want more and more money…even when they have enough.

When it comes to cash, we’re not exactly at a loss for words

Money, moolah, cheddar, currency, coins, dollars, notes, pounds, dough, greenbacks, bucks, bread, bacon, beans, clams, boffo, loonies, spondulicks. (Spondulicks? As in, “Hey, take these here spondulicks down to the corner store and pick up some milk”? Seriously?)

See what I mean?

That’s why I’ve developed a taste for money over the years. Cash is complicated, but in a seriously fascinating way. It makes us happy, sad, fearful, and even embarrassed. It’s got the power to destroy whole countries and save lives all around the world. Don’t say that’s not amazing.

Like many of you, I’ve been interested in money since I was a kid babysitting and selling hotdogs at the hockey arena. What was this mysterious stuff that gave me the ability to buy a new T-shirt or hang out at the movie theater with my friends? And even weirder, why didn’t the grown-ups around me ever seem to want to talk about it? These were big questions that needed big answers.

And it turns out I was right. Researching and writing this book has made me realize how mind-blowing money truly is. In fact, I’ve learned so much this year that even I’m spending and saving my money in a whole new way. (For example, money does buy happiness…if you spend it the right way. More on that later.)

I have to admit I wish someone had handed me a book like this when I was a kid. But lucky for you, more and more people are coming to realize that financial literacy (that’s fancy for “money education”) is something everyone should have access to a lot earlier in life. More kids are finally learning about debt, saving, and spending in school instead of stumbling across the information when they’re adults (adults who may already be in serious debt, because no one taught them how to handle their money in the first place!).

Ready to get started and sink your teeth into money now? Whether you already know how to read the stock markets or you’re starting from scratch, this book is going to give you the goods to see money in a whole new way. The payoff is going to be huge. So why not read on?