“Tommy’s Stock Market Adventure” by Jodi Jacobs

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“Don’t work for your money. Let your money work for you,” is one of the things I remember my grandfather telling me. It was certainly an attractive notion. The idea that my money could make me more money was something that appealed to me. 

I’ve always looked at the stock market as fantasy sports. Putting your money into a company that people are always buying and not only raising the price of your shares but also the chance of an occasional dividend is something that certainly appeals to many people for obvious reasons.

Investing in the Stock Market

Years ago, I put some money into the stock market. I looked at some companies that looked interesting to me, and with a little research I was certain these were sound investments. I bought shares and reinvested the dividends. It was something I had always wanted to do since learning about the stock market in a high school math class. The more I learned about shares, dividends, and potential stock splits, the more my curiosity grew, and the more I wanted to own stocks.

Wife and I have tried to teach our children about money and how to be smart with it. It hasn't always been easy, especially when walking past Pokémon cards at the store, or getting notifications from Amazon on our devices. Sometimes people are able to resist the temptations, sometimes the instant gratification of a little retail therapy is just to enticing.

I've always looked at the stock market as fantasy sports.

If you would like to teach your children about money and investing, but aren't sure where or how to start, let me introduce you to Jodi Jacobs. Jodi is a successful businesswoman with a deep knowledge of investing. While a lot of us wish we had the smarts to "play the market" as the saying goes, Jodi's expertise is evident in her website, themarketstart.com, where she gives, "the insight and expertise about how the stock market works - making it ultra plain and simple - so you can start investing with confidence and proudly watch your portfolio grow."

Jodi started her business because she was tired of hearing about brokers taking advantage of people's ignorance. There are plenty of stories of people being taken for a ride by investing professionals who are nothing more than pariahs who just want to make a buck and don't care how they do it.

Tommy's Stock Market Adventure

Jodi Jacobs (photo: themarketstart.com)

In addition to working with novice investors to make sure they are protected from scheming people; Jodi is also using her financial savvy and know-how to teach children how to be smart with their money and how they can wisely invest in the Stock Market. She has written "Tommy's Stock Market Adventure". Also collaborating on the book is illustrator Art Mawhinney.

The hero of the book, Tommy Declan, is a boy who loves hamburgers and baseball. He looks forward the family's annual vacation every summer, but when Tommy's dad loses his job, the family begins to worry about how they'll be able to get by. Suddenly, the annual vacation seems little more than just a dream for the Declan Family.

Luckily for Tommy, he has a friend named Jack Nazdack, whose mother works on Wall Street. Tommy speaks to Mrs. Nazdack (See what she did there?) about investing some money to take his family on vacation and using whatever is left over to buy new bases for the local baseball field. Mrs. Nazdack educated Tommy about the ins and outs of investing in the stock market. She tells him there is a lot of risk when you are putting your money there. Her job is to help people make sense of it all and make sure they understand where they are putting their money and why.

Kids and Adults can Learn about Money

Jodi was tired of hearing about brokers taking advantage of people's ignorance.

TSMA is a great story on the surface, but there is also so much more to help your child understand how investing works. As the story unfolds, Jodi explains the process in simple, easy to understand terms. She explains the eleven sectors of the stock market and looking up ticker symbols so you can find companies and find out more about them.

Jodi has written a children's book, but it could also be used by adults, too. Anyone who wants to learn about investing and get a primer on finance would do well to check out "Tommy's Stock Market Adventure". It's a great way to teach your children about money and it makes for a good read for the next Story Time.

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