The Opposite of Spoiled - by Ron Lieber (Paperback)

About the Book

"Lieber covers all the basics: the best ways to handle the tooth fairy, allowance, chores, charity, savings, birthdays, holidays, cell phones, splurging, clothing, cars, part-time jobs, and college tuition. But he also identifies a set of traits and virtues--like modesty, patience, generosity, and perspective--that parents hope their young adults will carry with them out into the world"--

Book Synopsis

New York Times Bestseller

"We all want to raise children with good values--children who are the opposite of spoiled--yet we often neglect to talk to our children about money. . . . From handling the tooth fairy, to tips on allowance, chores, charity, checking accounts, and part-time jobs, this engaging and important book is a must-read for parents." -- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

In the spirit of Wendy Mogel's The Blessing of a Skinned Knee and Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman's Nurture Shock, New York Times "Your Money" columnist Ron Lieber delivers a taboo-shattering manifesto that explains how talking openly to children about money can help parents raise modest, patient, grounded young adults who are financially wise beyond their years.

For Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist and father, good parenting and raising financially responsible children means talking about money with our kids. Children are hyper-aware of money, and they have scores of questions about its nuances. But when parents shy away from the topic, they lose a tremendous opportunity--not just to model the basic financial behaviors that are increasingly important for young adults but also to imprint lessons about what the family truly values.

Written in a warm, accessible voice, this guide to financial literacy for kids is grounded in real-world experience and stories from families with a range of incomes, The Opposite of Spoiled is both a practical guidebook and a values-based philosophy. The foundation of the book is a detailed blueprint for the best ways to handle the basics: the tooth fairy, allowance, chores, charity, saving, birthdays, holidays, cell phones, checking accounts, clothing, cars, part-time jobs, and college tuition. It identifies a set of traits and virtues that embody the opposite of spoiled, and shares how to embrace the topic of money to help parents raise kids who are more generous and less materialistic.

But The Opposite of Spoiled is also a promise to our kids that we will make them better with money than we are. It is for all of the parents who know that honest conversations about money with their curious children can help them become more patient and prudent through values-based parenting, but who don't know how and when to start.

This essential guide provides a practical, values-based blueprint for navigating every money conversation:

• Allowance Without the Fights: Learn when to start, how much to give, and why you should never tie allowance to chores--plus a simple three-jar system for spend, save, and give.
• Honest Financial Conversations: Get scripts and strategies for answering your kids' toughest questions, from "Are we rich?" to navigating the tooth fairy and holidays.
• Values Beyond the Dollar: Instill the traits that matter most--modesty, patience, generosity, and perseverance--using money as a powerful teaching tool.
• Building Financial Wisdom: Create a detailed blueprint for handling everything from cell phones and part-time jobs to the overwhelming cost of college, ensuring your kids are better with money than you are.

Review Quotes

"We all want to raise children with good values -- children who are the opposite of spoiled -- yet we often neglect to talk to our children about money. The Opposite of Spoiled breaks new ground by suggesting that the next generation deserves to be better at money than we are. From handling the tooth fairy, to tips on allowance, chores, charity, checking accounts, and part-time jobs, this engaging and important book is a must-read for parents." - Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

"A thoughtful, and often inspiring, book that also delivers dozens of smart, practical tips for turning conversations about money into lessons about living. If you've got kids, want kids--or heck, have been a kid--read this book." - Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human

"Ron Lieber's tips are practical, accessible and, best of all, rooted in the desire to foster an honest dialogue with our children." - Heather Stevens, "Balancing Act" column in The Chicago Tribune

"I started reading this book and cannot put it down. . . . I don't know anyone who doesn't want to raise their kids to have curiosity, patience, thrift, modesty, generosity, perseverance, and perspective. A godsend of a book." - Jessica Seinfeld

"All of us worry about how to give our kids a proper dose of perspective and gratitude. Ron Lieber's explanation of how money conversations imprint these good values (and so much more) is just the thing parents need to read right now." - Madeline Levine, author of The Price of Privilege

"Flush with practical ways to incorporate money lessons into family life. . . . Lieber's style is conversational and frank, with a sense of humor. . . . It's rare to find a book about finance with so much heart." - Associated Press

"I take a lot of pleasure in a good, practical book about how you spend your time, or how you raise your family. . . . The Opposite of Spoiled is good enough that I've been reading bits aloud to my husband and initiating conversations with our children about things like whether they compare their house to those of their friends, and more honestly answering questions like 'Mommy, do you have $1,000?'" - KJ Dell'Antonia, The New York Times's Motherlode blog

"In the course of profiling dozens of savvy families, Lieber gives tips on how to talk about money with kids in a calm way. . . . He makes a convincing case that the tendency to avoid the topic is a missed opportunity." - The Wall Street Journal

"An astute book filled with interesting anecdotes and wise lessons." - Forbes

"Finally, an honest, modern, comprehensive and nuanced book about kids and money. Parents report that conversations about money fill them with so much dread and confusion that they change the subject rather than dive in. The Opposite of Spoiled comes to the rescue." - Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee

"New York Times columnist Lieber makes a strong argument that money is something that children notice and talk about. . . . Lieber's easygoing style will encourage parents to raise a new generation that's both confident and compassionate." - Publishers Weekly

"Lieber's book is intensely pragmatic, relentlessly anecdotal--and that's why I loved it. . . . A book that will start important conversations in lots of households." - Claire Dederer, The New York Times Book Review

"Lieber guides parents in conveying the value and significance of money and how to use it wisely, how to spend and save, how to give and invest. Parents will appreciate the sound advice and broad perspective Lieber offers on this important subject." - Booklist