What if learning about money felt more like running a lemonade stand than sitting in a classroom?

Can a video game improve financial literacy for kids? In this episode, Mac Gardner joins me to explore how Berryville teaches money, entrepreneurship, and real-world financial habits through hands-on experience.

Key Takeaways

🔹 Financial literacy sticks when it’s fun, practical, and interactive.

🔹 Berryville teaches money through entrepreneurship, showing how earning connects to spending and saving.

🔹 Early financial habits shape long-term outcomes, often more than income level.

🔹 Financial education starts at home and empowers parents to have better money conversations.

🔹 Games can democratize financial literacy by making it accessible and engaging.

🔹 Teaching kids to realize, recognize, and rationalize builds stronger financial judgment.

🔹 Staying curious about money builds lifelong financial confidence.

💭 Tony’s Take

Financial readiness starts earlier than we think. When we make learning about money engaging and habit-based, we give the next generation a powerful head start.

 🎥 Watch this episode below: 

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Connect with Mac Gardner, CFP® 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macgardner/
• The Four Money Bears: https://www.thefourmoneybears.com
• Finlit Tech Website: https://finlittech.com
• MNY Fraternity Website: www.MNYFraternity.org

Books: 

• Motivate Your Money!: Plan Spend Save Invest Gift (Amazon)
• The Four Money Bears - Mac Gardner (Amazon) https://amzn.to/3FAMm0z

Berryville Books

Bio:

Mac Gardner, a Certified Financial Planner practitioner, has served in the financial services industry for more than 20 years.

His passion for financial literacy led him to publish his first book, “Motivate Your Money!”. The book serves as a tool to share his extensive experiences in the field of Personal Financial Planning. Through the book, his ability to simplify complex financial concepts through stories and his "Mac Nuggets" he helps his readers along their financial planning journey. As his family grew and his clients began to ask him for ways to teach their kids about managing money, he decided to use elements from his first book to develop a financial literacy platform for young children.  His second book, "The Four Money Bears" , teaches children about the four basic functions of money.  It is a fun and entertaining way for parents to start the conversation about money with their young children.

Mac also serves as Founder and Chief Education Officer of FinLit Tech.  The company's mission is "Building a Bridge Between Financial Literacy and Financial Technology". FinLit Tech develops Financial Education tools to start the personal finance education journey from as early as elementary school.  Mac's passion to bring more young people into the Financial Services industry led him to create the first co-ed Professional Fraternity for Financial Planning degree seeking students.  Mu Nu Upsilon (MNY) Fraternity, helps to bring high achieving students together with industry professionals to help them along their financial career journey.

☕ Support the Get Ready Movement.

If these conversations help you think differently about money or prepare for life’s what-ifs, your support helps expand financial readiness education and keep this work accessible.

👉 Support (here)