Helping kids understand the meaning of money

'People are starting to understand that health also means financial health,' says Liz Frazier of Frazier Financial Consultants.

For Liz Frazier, families and working professionals take center stage. As a certified financial planner and founder of Frazier Financial Consultants, her life’s work has been dedicated to making financial planning and education available and accessible to all.

“I really wanted to focus on the people who maybe don’t have a million dollars to manage,” Frazier says. “Which is the majority of the people in the world – because I feel like finance is overcomplicated in so many ways and it doesn’t have to be. It’s really quite simple. It’s about spending, saving, earning, and growing your money – that’s really it.”

As Frazier delved further into the world of financial planning, she recognized the pervasive intimidation people feel about finance. This realization fueled her passion for financial education, culminating in the creation of her book, Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands, which is specifically targeted at helping children understand the meaning behind money.

“Some of the challenges with writing a book about finance for kids is that finance isn’t fun,” she says. “It’s not something that people are so excited to learn about. It was really important for me to make it as entertaining as possible and relatable for kids. What are some activities that they could relate to and enjoy, but still sneak in financial education? It was about making it really hands-on, too – because that’s how kids learn.”

During her journey, Frazier encountered a startup that aligned with her passion for financial education – Copper Banking. The company’s mission to raise financially literate adults resonated deeply with her too – through giving teens hands-on experience in saving and investing.

And it’s this evolving framework of financial education that’s really got Frazier excited for what 2024 can bring.

“Five or six years ago, financial literacy wasn’t a huge thing,” she says. “There wasn’t a lot of conversations about it. In the past few years I’ve seen such an amazing improvement, and I see that as a huge opportunity for the future. I think people are starting to understand that health means it’s not just about physical and emotional health – it’s financial health, too.”