Financial Literacy for All

A new approach to understanding money and achieving financial fulfillment Former Vice-Chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, John Hope Bryant, delivers an accessible and powerful resource for everyday Americans seeking to build a strong financial foundation. This book is an easy-to-read first step toward a fulfilling financial future, helping you understand your relationship to work and money, and a key component to untangling the surprisingly simple puzzle of personal finance. With an insightful foreword by Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart Inc., you'll learn how to create wealth for yourself and your family, regardless of your educational or employment background, and how to establish a financial mindset that contributes to a sound future. You'll also discover: The answers to tough money questions, including the actual utility of new financial inventions like cryptocurrency How to think about exchanging your time and effort for money and the conditions under which you should agree to work Plain-English discussions of the principles of responsible long-term investing and how it differs from speculation Acting as a critical pillar for those seeking to build a rock-solid financial foundation, Financial Literacy for All is a must-have book for working professionals, blue-collar workers, members of young families, and established businesspeople looking for a better, more secure future for themselves and the ones they care about.

Foreword ix Prologue xiii Introduction: America’s Upgraded Business Plan 1 Dreams, Decisions, and Destinies 9 Section I What’s the Issue and Why Should We Care? 27 Chapter 1 Credit Is a Tool, Not a Toy 29 Chapter 2 The Civil Rights Issue of Our Generation 35 Section II How Did We Get Here? Aka Stories of Broken Capitalism 47 Chapter 3 Broken Capitalism and the Black and Brown People of America 49 Chapter 4 How Poor Whites Got Left Behind 67 Chapter 5 Losing Focus on the Goal: Financial Freedom 73 Chapter 6 The American Dream Deferred 79 Section III Empowerment Through Education 93 Chapter 7 Breaking the Chains: From Fast Money to Lasting Legacy 95 Chapter 8 Educating Our Kids 99 Chapter 9 Educating Our Communities 111 Chapter 10 Educating Our Entrepreneurs 121 Chapter 11 Educating Our Workforce 133 Chapter 12 Elevating Credit Scores and Empowering Dreams 143 Section IV It’s a Movement, Not a Moment 151 Chapter 13 Empowerment Through Education 153 Chapter 14 Join the Movement 161 Conclusion: A Ladder for All 165 Epilogue 171 Financial Literacy Resources 177 The Financial Literacy for All Initiative 183 Acknowledgments 189 About The Author 195 Index 199