Seventy-four percent of parents feel unprepared to teach kids about personal finance, according to a 2003 survey conducted by Fleet Boston. Given that startling statistic, Brett Handler, an entrepreneurial green homebuilder, realized the need for an easy to understand financial reference aimed at teens and twenty-somethings, especially in this economy. After spending the past 10 years volunteering for Junior Achievement and putting two kids of his own through the educational system, he wrote and published “Dear Graduate,” a book that is also available as an audio CD that comes packaged with a greeting card for gift giving.
“Dear Graduate” — just released in May 2009 — is a short, easy read that covers everything from creating a realistic budget to explaining different types of insurance. What makes this book stand out from other books with a similar subject is that it’s written in a non-intimidating, conversational style suitable for young adults. Handler takes complicated financial issues and makes them easy to understand. Its effectiveness is in its simplicity and is actually beneficial to anyone who needs financial education, no matter what age group.
Dr. Chester McKee, vice president and dean emeritus, Mississippi State University, and author, said, “Although the instruction contained is primarily focused on the young person moving into the real world of work and living on his own, the many items discussed and explained will be very useful to newly married couples moving into a new mode of life as well as to older individuals or couples who find themselves stressed with debt.”
Handler is a Florida licensed building contractor with more than 20 years of residential building experience. He is a Junior Achievement mentor in personal finance and serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches, as well as its finance committee.
For more information about the book, go online to www.deargraduate.com.
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