Which ‘Money Personality’ is your teenager?

A new YA (Young Adult) novel models the four ‘money personalities’ to help teenagers identify their attitude to money, become financially literate, and develop better monetary habits.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s household debt is among the highest in the world but financial literacy is not improving. The implications for young people, who tend to repeat their parents’ money habits, are troubling.

‘With life skills still not being taught in Australian schools as an official subject, and only intentionally taught in some families, most young people are left to unconsciously perpetuate family habits when it comes to saving, spending and investing,’ says Melbourne author Liliane Grace.

Grace’s new book, QUEST FOR RICHES – 4 Teenagers Discover the Keys to Wealth and Prosperity, shows how four 15-year old students respond to the opportunity of a school trip to India. Each teenager represents one of the four ‘money personalities’:

• • the ‘Leader’, who is entrepreneurial, prepared to take risks, and makes and loses money easily
• • the ‘Perfectionist’, who is a methodical saver but can get stuck in ‘paralysis by analysis’
• • the ‘Steady Supporter’, who works hard but can fall for get-rich-quick schemes and be overly generous – and sometimes a bit of a doormat
• • the ‘Enthusiast’, who doesn’t want to miss out and must keep up with the Joneses, so frequently lives beyond her means.

‘The idea for this book was to model four different approaches to managing money as each of the four teens responds to the opportunity,’ Grace said. ‘Who will save for the trip? Who will expect parents to pay? Who will assume a trip to India is not affordable?’

Grace believes that life skills such as financial management, communication skills and goal-setting should be taught formally in schools as compulsory subjects. Author of the award-winning YA novel, The Mastery Club®, her new book presents concepts, tips and strategies for a responsible attitude to better money management – through a fictional story.

For further information: Liliane Grace – 0407 901 008, Liliane@lilianegrace.com

Download as a Word document here.