How to Raise Money-Smart Kids
Aug 19, 2025
On this episode of The Get Ready Money Podcast, I spoke with John Lanza, Chief Mammal of The Art of Allowance Project, about raising financially capable kids and how allowance can be a practical tool for building lifelong money skills.
💡 Key Takeaways:
- Keep it simple—financial literacy for kids doesn’t have to be complicated.
- An allowance is a learning tool—it's a hands-on system for experience.
- Trade-offs build decision-making muscles—help kids understand choices and consequences.
- Normalize money talks—breaking money taboos starts at home.
- Turn mistakes into teachable moments—your past experiences can guide your kids.
• • Let kids find their own money style—allowance helps them build independence.
🎥 Watch this episode below:
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🎧 Listen to the podcast below or on your favorite podcast app.
Connect with John Lanza:
Books:
- The Art of Allowance: A Short, Practical Guide to Raising Money-Smart, Money-Empowered Kids by John Lanza (Amazon)
- Joe the Monkey Saves for a Goal: A Loop-Dee-Loo Story (Amazon)
- Joe the Monkey and Friends Learn about Spending Smart (Amazon)
- Joe the Monkey Learns to Share (Amazon)
Podcast:
- The Art of Allowance Podcast (here)
Bio:
John Lanza is on a mission to help parents raise money-smart kids and help families live happier, more fulfilled lives. John Lanza is the author of The Art of Allowance: A Short, Practical Guide to Raising Money-Smart, Money-Empowered Kids, host of The Art of Allowance Podcast and creator of The Art of Allowance Project featuring The Money Mammals and now the new program for tweens and teens called Adolescent$. The Art of Allowance Project is a nationwide program for credit unions that helps them connect with families to help parents raise money-smart kids of all ages.
An expert on youth financial literacy, John's work has appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, CU Broadcast and CU Insight. John, the Chief Mammal of Snigglezoo, is an avid runner. He lives in Southern California with his wife Eileen, the O.G. Money Mammal, and their two daughters, who have inspired and informed his work.