Читать книгу How to Be a Financial Grownup - Bobbi Rebell - Страница 10

PREFACE: STORY TIME

EVERY NIGHT my eight-year old son and I read a story before he goes to bed. Sometimes it gets us talking about his day. Or my day. Or what happened at school. Or something he’s worried about. It starts a conversation. He asks questions, many that I can’t answer. We talk more. And then he sleeps on it.

Stories do that. They get us talking. They help us pay attention to things that matter. They help us remember lessons. They help us relate to one another. They bring us together.

Stories are the foundation of How to Be a Financial Grownup because I believe that nothing grabs a reader’s attention, and makes a lasting mark, like a compelling story.

When I started the process of asking successful people whom I admired about their experiences with money, I had no idea what to expect. What if they all said the same thing? That would make a terrible book. The project could easily crash and burn before it even got off the ground. Even worse, what if they didn’t even want to participate?

As you’ll see when you start to turn the pages, the very opposite happened. Each and every one of the extraordinary Role Models shared unique experiences. Who knew that a personal finance book would have stories that included a sex scandal, repeated battles with cancer, and tales of living out of a car? You’ll read the incredible stories of Role Models who experienced these things and many more that will surprise you. Money is messy. Success is not a straight line to the top. Even the Role Models, some of the most successful people out there, have had their unexpected setbacks.

It was also important to be honest and transparent about the reality that we don’t all begin at the same starting line. I believe that we can learn just as much from the born-rich Role Models, such as Ivanka Trump and Sir Martin Sorrell, as we can from the extraordinary rags-to-riches tale of a Role Model such as Tony Robbins, who at one point in his childhood didn’t even have food to eat. Many a scion has blown their fortune or, even worse, lived an irrelevant life. The accomplishments of those who get a head start can be just as instructive and inspiring as those who start with nothing.

THE PROCESS

I wanted to make the interviews simple and fun for the Role Models, so I asked them just two questions:

 What was your financial grownup moment?

 What is the lesson from that, or one that you want to share?

A financial grownup moment is that moment when you realize that if you don’t pay attention to money, you’ll never have the financial freedom to live your dreams.

The questions were asked by different means. Some were in person, some were over the phone, and some were by email. I promised everyone that their contributions would be treated as quotes, and would be included in the book as is. No edits would be made without their consent, and even then would only be made in extreme circumstances. I gave no parameters. Some answers came in short and sweet. Some were a bit long. But they are all unedited and genuine.

The Role Models I selected to interview included a mix of business types. Some I had formed a connection with after interviewing them at Reuters. I looked for companies and individuals who had a strong interest in promoting financial literacy. Many were people whom I knew were doing extraordinary things in their fields, and I reached out to them even though we had no connections at all. Some were suggested by friends who then provided introductions. As the process went on I tried to hit a diverse range of industries and perspectives.

I then added a range of subject matter experts to give readers tangible information and advice for implementing the lessons. Like the Role Models, they were often people I knew from my years as a journalist, or they were experts I reached out to because they were leaders in their fields.

And of course I added my own perspectives, along with specific tips and ideas of my own.

No one was compensated in any way for participation in How to Be a Financial Grownup, and I wasn’t paid in any way to include any person or company quoted or mentioned in the book. Every product, app, and website recommendation that I make is genuine.

My goal is to get you, my readers, to pay attention to your own financial story. And then you can take action and set a course that gives you the happy ending you desire.