Money: What I Wish I Knew When I Was Younger: A Cautionary Tale & Lessons Learned for Teens & Young Adults

by Brian Siemens

Brian Siemens got his first job at age 14, thinking he’d have some pocket money he could spend on himself until he got paid again. $10 from mowing a yard once a week wasn’t enough to lead to any trouble, right? What could possibly go wrong with having some spare change? Just about everything, that’s what. Beginning with that first job, Brian was an absolute mess when it came to managing his money and his personal finances. In fact, if you asked him about his past finances today, he’d tell you that he used to be a financial idiot. That might sound a little harsh, but as you will soon see, who could argue with that? Brian tore a path of self-destruction that threatened everything he had ever dreamed of. He was a slow learner, too—hardship after hardship, setback after setback, he came back for more punishment time and time again. It took him nearly 20 years to figure it all out. But he came out the other side all the better for it and with something to share, something guaranteed to make the path much easier (and less painful) for other teens and young adults who dare to read his story. Many people would be too embarrassed to share such a story and certainly would never want it to reach the light of day, but not Brian. He wants to be an example for others. He wants to put his embarrassment aside and let it all hang out. He wants to tell others about his past mistakes and regrets and the lessons he’s learned from years of pain and suffering. In the end, Brian’s story is one of overcoming obstacles and emerging triumphant. It’s a story that he proudly shares with you so that you can make your own story better.

Genres: Nonfiction

114 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2020

About the author

I never anticipated becoming an author. Writing was never even on my radar. I always thought that I wanted to be in business, either working for someone else or running my own business--that's why I studied management, information technology, and finance. But as I got older and my worldview evolved, I learned that my real passion is helping others. I had determined some time ago that I had more to offer this world than just showing up to a job and collecting a paycheck. It just took me a while to figure out what exactly it was and how to do it.

Initially, I stepped out on my own and tried working as a financial coach, helping people who reached out to me change how they viewed their relationship with money and how to get better at managing their finances. Basically, I was a fixer. The problem with that was it was one-on-one, plus not many people admit they need help to begin with. Fewer people act on that need and get help, and even fewer stick with their new plans. I also realized that being a personal financial coach was just me trying to compromise and stay loyal to what I thought I wanted (running a business) and what I really wanted (to help people). I decided that my greatest contribution would be to get in front of more people and to do it at the right point in their journey, the point where I first needed help myself: at the beginning, where views and habits first take hold and then take control.

So, I became an author. Writing allows me to reach a bigger audience and help educate people up front as they start their journey instead of trying to fix problems on the back end, after so much suffering has occurred. The topics I write about are personal, which gives me the courage to go all in, to be as honest and transparent as I possibly can, and to not hold anything back. To share my mistakes, regrets, and successes, what not to do, and how to overcome. I hope that my writing inspires my readers. It's the first "job" that has made me feel like I have purpose and that I can make a difference.

In addition to being an author, I'm a father, husband, and foster parent. I love animals (we have three dogs and two cats), rooting my kids on as they play sports or do any other activity they choose, exercising, reading, and traveling.

Reviews

[Angela Sorenson]

amazing read

I was given this book by the author via Goodreads in return for reading it and giving my honest review. Honestly this book was amazing I wish it was a book I had read when I was in my late teens instead at 41 years old though I do believe the skills could be used in any age. I really liked the idea of setting up a financial thing that tracks what your spending where and I assume you can probably find an app in the App Store for finances somewhere. I for one am going to look and use some of his ideas. I think by tracking my finances I will be less likely to spend on a whim and to have neatly think about the purchases which will help me to understand is it a need or want.

[Rachel Barnard]

First reviewed through Reedsy Discovery

Brian Siemens is a financial educator and a public speaker, but he wasn’t always so money savvy. This nonfiction book on personal finance follows Brian’s early relationship with money, the pitfalls you should avoid, and how he learned to manage his finances. Through his own choices with money early on, Seimens shows the reader where he went wrong and how the reader can start off their personal finance journey on the right foot.

Out of all the personal finance books available, this book stands out because it is geared towards a younger audience. It is both a cautionary tale and a book full of words of advice. It is easy for adults to tell young adults and teenagers to avoid making the same mistakes they did. Usually, this phrase is accompanied by a lecture and a warning to avoid certain pitfalls. In personal finance, these pitfalls are abundant and include credit cards, student loans, impulse buying, etc. Brian Siemens expounds on these pitfalls with well-thought-out details and his own experience. He tells the whole story, including his own. For instance, he brings the reader’s attention to the concept of tax brackets. Even as an intermediate/advanced personal finance enthusiast, I haven’t fully taken tax brackets into consideration. Some of these small details can be very important and if overlooked, as Brian did early in his life, they can lead to poor financial decisions. Bad habits early on can be even harder to break. Even if you don’t know the difference in cost between getting new tires for a truck and getting new tires for a car, you’ll understand why the difference is important after reading this book. Maybe, if you’re a younger reader, you might even start an investment account!

Though this book is short, most of it is to the point and very practical. The last chapter is a tl;dr of advice that sums up the rest of the book. For those with short attention spans, this is a great beginner’s comprehensive guidebook for personal finance that is full of relevant and interesting personal anecdotes.

I loved reading the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Typically I skim over quotes like these, but I really enjoyed each of the quotes that Brian Siemens chose.