CASH IS QUEEN

A mixed bag of financial advice aimed at girls.

Thought-provoking activities and budgeting suggestions pepper this entertaining, illustrated guide for girls interested in money. In casual, approachable language, Tomlinson introduces financial ideas, guiding readers to think about their own needs and personalities in order to plan for the future. Advice on why and how to save (for an implied audience of girls without dire financial need) is solid, and the cheerful artwork and journaling activities make the dry subject matter approachable. Though some debunked research is cited in supporting stories, much of the advice is valuable, from standard methods of budgeting to warnings about online scams and buy now, pay later schemes. The section on investing, however, ranges from inexplicable (suggestions to monitor the Consumer Price Index or lists of adult investment vehicles) to inappropriately risky (an exploration of the stock market, with a brief afterthought about the illegality of minors trading) to downright terrible (a factually incorrect discussion of cryptocurrency that treats it as a risky-but-viable investment). Despite some unhelpful jargon (“Debt is a form of financial instrument”), the concepts are generally clearly explained overall. Illustrations feature people who are diverse in skin tone, although nearly all the chapter-opening images are of light-skinned girls.

Great guidance for building good fiscal habits; shockingly bad advice about investing.