Question: I have teenagers who seem to be interested in learning more about investing. What books and seminars can you recommend? – Hopeful Dad via text
Answer: That is good news. Encourage your children by exposing them to the world of investing.
While our kids were very young, my husband and I would tell them about the books we were reading. They were lucky to get a synopsis of some of the best books on investing. Since your kids are already in their teens and are interested in the subject, maybe they themselves can read these books and share with you what they learn!
Here are some of the books we read and shared with the boys:
1. The Intelligent Investor (1949) by Benjamin Graham – This is a classic and Warren Buffet (the world’s greatest investor) considers this the best book in investment ever written. I agree but I have to warn you it is a bit heavy in the sense that it’s like reading a school textbook. But if there’s any “bible” on investing, maybe this is it.
2. One Up On Wall Street (1989); Beating the Street (1994) by Peter Lynch – These were among my husband’s favorites. Peter Lynch became known for his Fidelity Fund and in these books he narrates his adventures as a caddy until the time he became a famous fund manager using common sense like checking the buying habits of his wife as research materials for his stock picking. He has another book Learn to Earn (1995) which I think is aimed at a younger audience, so you might consider this for your teenagers.
3. The Warren Buffet Way (2005) by Robert Hagstrom – This book analyzes the investing style of Buffet. It discusses the business, financial, management and value tenets of Buffet.
4. Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life (2008) by Alice Shroeder – This is the only authorized biography of Warren Buffet. Your children will gain a lot of insights from the life story of the world’s greatest investor.
5. Rich Dad Poor Dad (1997) by Robert Kiyosaki – I bought this book on a rush one time when I was in a bookstore and was choosing one book per family member. I already picked for our sons and me and was about to choose a parenting book for my husband when I got a text from our driver that he was already at our agreed upon pick up point so I rushed and picked up the book that had “Dad” in its title. I ended up reading this book and found it an easy and entertaining read. The main point of the book is differentiating how the rich and poor make money – the poor work for money while the rich make money work for them. Note however, that Kiyosaki recently filed for bankruptcy for one of his companies when it lost in a court case, which cost him US$24 million.
6. Little Book of Value Investing (2007) Christopher Browne; Little Book of Behavioral Investing (2010) James Montiere – Given our children’s short attention span, these two books may be more suited to their taste as both are short and easy to understand.
You can watch out for seminars and talks on the subject matter. I for one give talks on FQ (Financial Intelligence Quotient) to schools and other venues from time to time. COL Financial (Citiseconline) also gives seminars on stock investing. My sons have also shared their knowledge in FQ workshops like Blue Chip (Financial Literacy for the Youth). In fact, the group behind Blue Chip is coming up with a conference this Saturday dubbed Batang Pera Henyo 2012. It aims to strengthen the financial education among the youth, families and communities.
Speakers include Usec. Leon Flores III (Undersecretary for National Youth Commission), Efren Cruz (CEO of Personal Financial Advisers Philippines Corp.), Miriam Quiambao (beauty queen, entrepreneur, public speaker and actress), Boris Joaquin (motivational speaker, director of Hope Foundation), Dennis Sy (chief blogger of ActLikeAMan.org) and the Fausto Brothers! Yup my sons will again participate in this activity and share their experiences as young investors. (Click this link to see a video invite from the Fausto Brothers)
It will be this Saturday November 17, 2012 from 9am to 6pm at the Vista Center, Upper Ground Floor Worldwide Corporate Center Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong. Ticket prices are P750 (solo); P1,500 (combo for parent and child, additional rate of P600 in excess of 1 child/parent). To register contact Jenny Magalong at 267-5635, 0927-9631376, 0932-8578255.
And I have good news for all the readers out there! I have a few tickets to give away for free. Email me why you deserve to attend this conference and get a chance to win free tickets. It’s open to children 13 years old and above, to parents, teachers, home schoolers and educators, youth organizations and anyone who is interested to achieve financial peace.
Wishing you financial happiness,
Rose
(Rose Fres Fausto is the author of the book Raising Pinoy Boys. She was an investment banker before she became a full-time mother to Martin, Enrique and Anton. She is married to Marvin. Send your questions to maryrose_fausto@yahoo.com or log on to www.RaisingPinoyBoys.com. You may also send text to 0927-5159011.)
This article is also published in www.RaisingPinoyBoys.com.