For their birthdays, I always give my niece Hailey and nephew Miles an activity we do together. It's such a joy to spend the day together; it strengthens our bond and creates lasting memories! This year, my niece was turning eight, and I wanted to introduce her to the value of an activity so she could begin to understand the concept of money.
I grew up in an environment where money was a sensitive subject, scarcity was ever-present, and emotions surrounding money were strong and chaotic. This led me to acquire very little education but accumulate a great deal of fear about it. When I reached late adulthood and felt like I was swimming against the current with my finances, I decided to invest in the financial education I needed to achieve my goals.
All the obstacles I faced regarding money are now well behind me. I now want to share my newfound knowledge with the people I care about, so they can grow up feeling secure and aware of the importance of understanding money.
So I made Hailey a card with the amount of money I was willing to spend on her birthday. The card had three sections: (1) Save, (2) Choose, and (3) Explore. What I appreciated about this approach was that it allowed her to put real money into practice, learn by doing, and have fun while she did it. The topic of money is now very fluid between us; she asks me questions about it, and that makes me so happy.
My experience was so positive that I decided to make Tout Compte! accessible to all families and children. I pitched my story to maubau, a women-led creative studio based in Montreal. They received my idea with such enthusiasm and creativity that my product exceeded my expectations!