Prodigal Sons And Material Girls: How Not To Be Your Child's Atm

In today's society many young people have lost sight of the value of money and seem to believe that money really does "grow on trees." Part expose and part survival guide, Prodigal Sons and Material Girls addresses the nagging issue faced by many parents today – why do their children have such unrealistic expectations about money? The book is divided into two comprehensive parts. Part I outlines the disturbing facts about America's possession-crazed youth and the society that has distorted their views. You'll be introduced to everything from the "three-headed monster"—a high-powered triumvirate of consumer products companies, media conglomerates, and advertising agencies that has tremendous influence over your children—to the distorted view of the American Dream as shaped by principles known as "The Teen Commandments." In learning what you're up against you can teach financial responsibility from a position of strength. In Part II, Dungan offers creative and convincing examples on how to leverage his highly successful "Share-Save-Spend" approach to money – critical elements for you to help your children break free from the materialism that has become ingrained in our society. Through insightful anecdotes and simple exercises, you will learn how to: Talk to your children about money Understand the difference between financial wants and needs Increase the probability of your children having a prosperous life Raise your children's marketing IQ Maintain healthy financial boundaries Set a healthy example for your children to follow The "Share–Save–Spend" methodology will help your children establish healthy financial habits and will undoubtedly become their foundation for making a lifetime of responsible financial decisions. Nathan Dungan is an innovative leader in the financial services industry. Over the past 15 years, he has been a top-performing financial advisor outside of Philadelphia, PA and most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), a $57 billion member-owned financial services company with nearly 3 million members. Dungan is a frequent speaker and workshop leader and has been widely quoted on this subject in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and has appeared on CNN and PBS.

In today’s society many young people have lost sight of the value of money and seem to believe that money really does "grow on trees." Part expose and part survival guide, Prodigal Sons and Material Girls addresses the nagging issue faced by many parents today – why do their children have such unrealistic expectations about money?

The book is divided into two comprehensive parts. Part I outlines the disturbing facts about America’s possession-crazed youth and the society that has distorted their views. You’ll be introduced to everything from the "three-headed monster"—a high-powered triumvirate of consumer products companies, media conglomerates, and advertising agencies that has tremendous influence over your children—to the distorted view of the American Dream as shaped by principles known as "The Teen Commandments." In learning what you’re up against you can teach financial responsibility from a position of strength.

In Part II, Dungan offers creative and convincing examples on how to leverage his highly successful "Share-Save-Spend" approach to money – critical elements for you to help your children break free from the materialism that has become ingrained in our society. Through insightful anecdotes and simple exercises, you will learn how to:

• Talk to your children about money
• Understand the difference between financial wants and needs
• Increase the probability of your children having a prosperous life
• Raise your children’s marketing IQ
• Maintain healthy financial boundaries
• Set a healthy example for your children to follow

The "Share–Save–Spend"methodology will help your children establish healthy financial habits and will undoubtedly become their foundation for making a lifetime of responsible financial decisions.

Nathan Dungan is an innovative leader in the financial services industry. Over the past 15 years, he has been a top-performing financial advisor outside of Philadelphia, PA and most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), a $57 billion member-owned financial services company with nearly 3 million members. Dungan is a frequent speaker and workshop leader and has been widely quoted on this subject in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and has appeared on CNN and PBS.

Publishers Weekly

Financial advisor Dungan has written an informative guide to dealing with possession-crazed kids. Sure, young people are wooed by advertisers-those 18 and under spend $150 billion in the U.S. annually-but they can still be "savvy consumers who make decisions based on their values." Part one of Dungan's book paints a scary picture of the current state of affairs (e.g., the fastest-growing segment of those filing for bankruptcy are people under 25), while part two explains what to do about it, including having financial discussions with kids, learning to say "no" and teaching them how to save. Dungan's advice is sound, and he supports it with eyebrow-raising facts on everything from how kids value money (he cites a survey that found that 58% of young people aged 12 to 17 "wouldn't bother to pick up [off the sidewalk] anything less than a dollar") to how they deal with financial woes (more than 63% of American college students "know someone who dropped out or reduced their class load so they could earn more money to resolve financial problems"). (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

this field and that they were hungry for information that would support a values-based approach to teaching young people about money. Soon after, Thrivent Financial (formerly known as Lutheran Brotherhood), the Fortune 500 financial services company where I worked, began receiving requests from media outlets across the country seeking more information about this approach. Prodigal Sons and Material Girlsaddresses the nagging issue faced by many parents todayAC - why do their kids have unrealistic expectations about money? This practical book discusses the real reasons why children today seem to have expensive taste, high expectations about money, and little sense of responsibility when dealing with it. In today's society many young people have lost sight of the value of money and seem to believe that money really does 'grow on trees.' Part exposé and part survival guide, Prodigal Sons and Material Girls addresses the nagging issue faced by many parents today, why do their children have such unrealistic expectations about money? Provides information about America's consumer-driven society and its effects on children, and offers advice to parents on how to follow the "Share-Save-Spend" plan for teaching young people lifelong financial responsibility