Study Shows Positive Change after Empowering Financial Education Session

The first stop on a national rollout aimed at improving people’s understanding of basic finances kicked off Saturday with an overwhelming success. The international best-selling authors of “The ABCs Of Making Money” staged a lively 90 minute presentation that, in the words of one attendee “...changed the whole way I look at money and savings in an extremely positive way. My whole family thanks you!”

As part of this pilot project, attendees were asked to fill out a short quiz before and after the presentation. Going in, the average financial awareness index was 22.3% which, according to the authors is about average for any community. After the session, follow-up tests showed a huge leap in awareness to 89.6%. “It shows how great the need for financial knowledge is, and that we can have a huge impact in a very short amount of time” according to co-author Dr. Denis Cauvier. One satisfied adult echoed this “...the information was presented in a very simple yet entertaining format.” “This isn’t just about making people more aware about money issues” according to co-author Alan Lysaght “this is about people taking charge of their financial lives, getting out from under crushing debts and starting to accumulate wealth.”

Many parents brought their children for this presentation which was aimed at both teenagers and adults. All participants were given a copy of the groundbreaking book “The ABCs of Making Money 4 Teens” courtesy of Community Futures and the Change a Generation charity. “[A] fantastic book to use as a take-home family resource” enthused one parent. Another said “Great to attend with my daughter. This will start great discussions.” When asked, 91% said that they believed that the school system is not doing enough teaching in the area of finances, while 95% said that governments need to invest more to help young people learn about finances. One teen said “I really enjoyed this presentation. It would help if more teens attended and if it was presented across the country. I will always remember this stuff.” Another said “[It] provides important insight that teens need to know at a young age to prepare themselves for both the present and the future.” The most common comment from adults was: “I only wish I had the opportunity to have access to this info when I was younger.”

As a result of attending the program 69% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 said they were either “very likely” or “likely” set up an investment account. Meanwhile of the attending parents who did not already have an existing investment plan, 95% said that as a result of this presentation they were either “very likely” or “likely” to set up an investment plan. “These people can now see the power of taking charge of their financial lives. If they actually do set up plans for themselves their futures and their family’s futures will be much more secure” says Cauvier. “If we could reach that many people in 90 minutes, imagine what we could do if we rolled this out through the whole country” continues Lysaght. This learning opens real doors for people. One woman said “This has taught me that anything is possible with a positive attitude and positive thinking. I can achieve my dreams that before I was too scared of doing.”

Lysaght says “This is critical information for everyone to have. It can be the difference between a happy family life and one of constant financial stress.” One astute 10 year old who attended the session summed it up: “I liked the program...and it was very, very learnative.”

Money Gurus Teach Teens How to Follow Their Dreams

Two of Canada’s top financial gurus will be in Red Deer Saturday, November 3 reaching out to local teens interested in how to make their dreams become reality.

Authors and consultants, Dr. Denis L. Cauvier and Alan Lysaght will share the secrets of some of the world’s richest people during a workshop aimed at training youth in the basics of financial literacy and money making. Cauvier and Lysaght co-authored the internationally best-selling books “The ABCs of Making Money” and “The ABCs of Making Money 4 Teens”.

The Red Deer workshop is the pilot to a financial literacy project that will reach out to 27 communities across Alberta, said Denis Cauvier during a phone interview from his car on the way to an appearance in New York. The authors will do an hour-and-a-half, live presentation providing youth with skills and ideas on how to become financially successful and independent.

“I’m just so passionate about the teen project,” said Cauvier who has two teenage daughters at home. “Financial freedom equals options.”

The workshop is “not a theoretical or academic approach,” he said. “We will show them how they can attain their goals while having fun and leading a balanced life, which is very important to this demographic.”

The workshop was arranged by Community Futures and will take place at the Red Deer Memorial Centre. Entrance is a nominal $10. and each participant will receive a copy of the Teen book. Tickets are available through the Community Futures office or the charity website www.givemeaning.com/project/Moneytalk. The authors will stay after the presentation to answer questions and talk about ideas. Local youth organizations like Junior Achievement and 4-H will be on hand to network with interested youths.

While doing research, the authors discovered some “shocking facts” about North American youth and their spending habits, said Cauvier. Teens spend $175 billion a year. Most parents do not give their children financial coaching to make good choices and most youth have no access to financial literacy training.

“The under 24 year-olds are the fastest growing age group filing for bankruptcy!” said Cauvier. It has become Cauvier and Lysaght’s mission to educate youth in financial management.

The authors interviewed hundred of self-made millionaires in the process of writing their first collaborative work, Cauvier explained. In that process they identified several characteristics shared by these successful people and from this they created the ABCs.

The first, or “A”, characteristic most millionaires share is their Attitude about money and success, said Cauvier. “B” is Behavior and how they invest their time. “C” is how they Create money. Seventy-four percent of all self-made millionaires own one or more businesses, he stated.

Cauvier and Lysaght took the ABCs and then applied it to create “The ABCs of Making Money 4 Teens”. Along with the basic strategies of money management the authors share stories of teens who have made thousands or even millions by developing their hobbies into entrepreneurial endeavors. The book uses easily understood language as well as colorful pictures, graphs and charts.

Dr. Denis Cauvier is an entrepreneur and consultant who has conducted seminars and workshops for businesses and organizations around the world for the past 20 years. Alan Lysaght is a Strategic Planning Consultant, writer and researcher specializing in “turn-around solutions” for businesses and individuals. Cauvier and Lysaght have been training and consulting together for 10 years during which they created the ABCs of Building Successful Organizations TM solutions. www.abcguys.com

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