Speaking Volumes | Manatee Libraries can help manage your finances
Has the holiday season emptied your wallet? Will your New Year’s Resolution be to finally make and stick to a budget? Do your kids think money grows on trees? If so, visit Manatee County Libraries for books, a variety of workshops and a new interactive exhibit that can help you and your kids learn about money management.
Bring the kids to the Downtown Library between Dec. 15 and Jan. 20 to explore the Thinking Money traveling exhibit, which offers interactive adventure-themed iPad content and hands-on activities to help make the life-long financial journey a smooth ride. Manatee Libraries was one of the 50 library systems nationwide selected to host the 1,000-square-foot museum-quality exhibition via a grant administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Education Foundation and the American Library Association.
The libraries will also offer several unique programs to help tweens, teens and adults learn about saving and borrowing money, avoiding identity theft, and planning for the future. The Thinking Money youth events will feature giveaways, food, and the chance to enter to win passes for TreeUmph, Escape Bradenton, Saturn 5 Family Entertainment Center and Sky Zone Trampoline Park. Visit bit.ly/thinkingmoney online to learn more about the programs.
If you need help continuing the personal finance discussion with your kids at home, “Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not)” by Beth Kobliner answers all of your questions about allowances, after-school jobs, saving for college and much more.
The classic “The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money” is a great conversation-starter with young kids, while “Dollars & Sense: A Kid’s Guide to Using—Not Losing—Money” by Elaine Scott teaches tweens about the role of money in society and how to manage it wisely.
For teens and young adults, “The Teen Money Manual: A Guide to Cash, Credit, Spending, Saving, Work, Wealth, and More” by Kara McGuire is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the personal finance world, including first jobs, banking, credit cards, saving for college, investing, and fraud.
The libraries also offer books to help adults of all ages and life stages take control of their finances. Individuals in their twenties and thirties will enjoy Erin Lowry’s straightforward, real-world advice peppered with hilarious anecdotes in “Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together.”
Great for beginners of any age, Harold Pollack and Helaine Olen’s “The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated” distills all of the research and advice about money management into nine simple principles that could easily fit on a 4x6-inch index card. Those who have turned their focus to retirement may wish to check out “Plan Your Prosperity: The Only Retirement Guide You’ll Ever Need Starting Now — Whether You’re 22, 52, or 82,” in which Ken Fisher strikes the perfect balance between detail (topics include income vs. cash flow and benchmarking) and brevity (under 150 pages).
Regardless of where you are on your financial journey, the Manatee County Libraries are here to help.
Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday.
This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Speaking Volumes | Manatee Libraries can help manage your finances."