The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money

I love this book! It's an easy read and relatively quick to read (just over 200 pages but they go quickly). The book is well written and enjoyable to read. There are so many great ideas to help kids of all ages become more financially intelligent. My only complaint would be that many parents interviewed in this book are very wealthy or have a rags to riches story. It would be nice to hear from parents who don't have that kind of fortune. Although, I think the point it makes of being aware of one's privilege is so important.This book touches on so many important financial aspects and how to include children in an age appropriate way so they can learn before it really matters when they are adults. I've already talked to my kids about implementing some of these ideas.

Good book. Easy enjoyable read, has some good points. Stressed the give part heavily. That's hard for a child to care about. We keep 2 jars, spend and save and at Christmas discuss giving to a good cause. I liked points of discussing the cause, and what the child feels is important. Is giving to the Art museum really helping people who need it, or giving to a homeless shelter or animal shelter? The depth of these questions was brought to my attention, neat how their daughter's private school has round table discussions about it. Has made me think about this in a different light when talking with my kids about what they think is important

Children will learn about money. What they learn is up to us. They’ll either learn by intention or by default. Default feels unacceptable in our affluent society.Lieber is an accomplished financial writer with a passion for kids and money. The Opposite of Spoiled offers some great insight into America’s last taboo: money. In a culture that routinely exploits religion, race, sex, and violence, money may be the last frontier. Money is the one subject not discussed at our family dinner tables. Too many kids – from all rungs of the economic ladder - learn about values and money by default.Intentionality is the strength of this book. Lieber chronicles a variety of parents and how they’ve deliberately approached allowances, summer jobs, family trade-offs, gift-giving, consumer needs, wants, values, and charities. Not all solutions will fit all families, and that’s not the point anyway. The point is to be intentional about the money lessons in our own families. The point is to be intentional about the money lessons for our children.Lieber doesn’t lecture. Stories make this book powerful. He invites us to meet thoughtful parents with unique expertise and perspective on the child-money challenge. How would a renowned philanthropist revamp middle school gift-giving? How would a successful real estate agent illustrate the opportunities and limitations of a large monthly paycheck? How does a Utah farm family teach the value of hard work to their children?This isn’t a book laden with scholarly studies, although those works are present. Rather, it is a dynamic presentation of ideas and thinking about important life lessons for children. The Opposite of Spoiled is the opposite of default.

I heard about The Opposite of Spoiled through Ron Lieber's appearance on the Art of Manliness podcast last year. His logical, thoughtful approach to teaching kids about money struck me, especially since many of them contradicted what I'd always assumed I would do as a parent. Providing an allowance in exchange for chores was a given to me--until Lieber gave his counterargument that chores and household tasks are something that should be expected of every member of the family without reciprocation, since it's just part of being a person. We're always going to have to do chores, and at some point we're going to stop receiving a paycheck to do them. That fascinated me, and I knew at that moment I'd need to read this book before I had children. Since my husband and I are now expecting our first child, it seemed like the perfect time to pick it up.While this book seems to be aimed at those in much higher income brackets than my husband and myself, I felt it was an incredibly valuable resource. I appreciate the depth of Lieber's research--rather than postulating theories and framing himself as a standalone expert, he spent a good deal of time traveling and interviewing families of all income levels and lifestyles to get their perspectives, as well as offering his own advice. I recommend this book to all parents, those who plan to be parents, and those who come into regular contact with children. It's truly eye-opening, inspiring, and motivating.