“The Key: Wise Money Choices for Teens” by Marjorie L. Anderson

The Key: Wise Money Choices for Teens
Marjorie L. Anderson
Xlibris Corporation (2017)
ISBN 9781479781027
Reviewed by Faryal Jabbar (age 17) for Reader Views (6/19)

Marjorie L. Anderson’s passion for educating young people about the world of money making and finance can be seen in her guide, “The Key: Wise Money Choices for Teens.” With a very impressive background in business, Mrs. Anderson has provided a clear, concise, and highly informative book.  She outlines a basic understanding of finance and money, money management, philanthropy, saving and investing, and credit cards. Anderson’s voice comes through as she provides both definitions and handy advice. As an upcoming senior in high school, this book was very helpful as college is on my horizon. Throughout the book Mrs. Anderson relates her financial advice to teen’s situations like buying a car or saving for college.

Although much of the book covers basic financial information for true beginners, the book also includes unique tips for keeping track of money that I’ve implemented in my life. For example, Mrs. Anderson advises those who are compulsive spenders, like me, to use a simple envelope system to separate money for saving and spending in order to visualize spending. My favorite thing about the book is that Mrs. Anderson includes many ways for teens themselves to save and make money rather than just stating why either aspect is important. Keeping with the times, Mrs. Anderson provides teens with knowledge about how to access the stock market and the science behind investing that often seems very daunting. In addition, she provides many resources for teens including websites that simulate the stock market and philanthropic organizations teens can get involved in.

 Mrs. Anderson’s writing style effectively teaches the information with a conversational tone; making you feel like she’s talking directly to you through nicely organized paragraphs. Her Christian faith and morals about giving back and buying American products is evident. Also, she includes visual examples of financial documents, real life examples of finance that occur in teens lives, and questions and exercises throughout the quick read. My only critique would be to add more visuals like graphs and diagrams that could better communicate some of the information.

Overall, I would recommend “The Key: Wise Money Choices for Teens” by Marjorie L. Anderson to parents who want to educate their young teens about the world of money choices as she also includes a message to parents. And, I especially urge all teens to read this book as finance and technology are growing closer, college tuition is rising, and it’s always a good idea to understand how money works. I went in thinking I would already know about finance, however I’m glad to say I have learned a lot of valuable information.