Perspectives

Prior to writing The Little Economists, you worked at a quantitative trading firm in New York. What inspired your transition from finance to writing children’s books on financial literacy?

While working in finance, I saw firsthand how powerful knowledge about money can be. I also realized that many financial concepts are actually simple at their core, and adults just tend to overcomplicate them. Finance plays such an important role in everyone’s daily life and yet, most people don’t learn about it until much later in life.

When I became a mother, I wanted my child to learn about money early so that handling money would feel easy and natural. At the same time, I noticed that many parents understand the importance of teaching their children about money, but aren’t sure where to begin or how to approach the topic in a way that feels engaging rather than instructional. I searched for resources and couldn’t find anything that felt quite right, so I decided to create my own.

Through The Little Economists, I hope to give children financial confidence and curiosity. If a child understands saving, ownership, trade-offs, and long-term thinking in a simple way, they are already building a foundation that will serve them for life. I hope kids will enjoy learning about money and feel empowered to be the boss of their own future.

 

How did your interest in financial literacy develop? Was it shaped primarily by your time in quantitative finance, or was there a particular experience that influenced you earlier on?

Growing up, my parents rarely talked to me about money. They believed it was an adult topic, and that children should focus primarily on studying and getting good grades and that money management skills can be learned as an adult later on. I had a tutoring job when I was in high school but I just stashed it into my savings account and didn’t do anything with it.

That changed during my first internship in my freshman year summer at Bloomberg in New York City. I was suddenly surrounded by people who talked about stocks, markets, and financial news every single day. I found it fascinating. Finance wasn’t just a number in people’s bank accounts, it was storytelling, psychology, global events, and human behavior all intertwined. I started educating myself on investing, and what to do with the money I received from my summer internship. 

Outside of work, many of my friends were also deeply interested in investing. We would discuss ideas, trends, and long-term strategies. I learned a tremendous amount simply by being part of those conversations.

Looking back, I wish I had been exposed to financial concepts earlier in life. I also wish there had been more accessible, child-friendly resources that introduced money in a simple and engaging way. Learning about money is a lot of fun, and early exposure truly makes a difference.

From your perspective as both a mother and an author in this space, at what age is financial education most effective? Are there nuances in how these concepts should be introduced within the 4–8 age range?

I wouldn’t say there is one “perfect” age that is most effective. Financial education is never too early, and never too late.

That said, I particularly enjoy teaching children between the ages of 4 to 8 because this is when they naturally begin to notice money. Some children as young as 3 start to understand that they cannot simply take a toy from a store without paying for it. The moment a child recognizes that exchange (money for a toy) exists, they are ready to begin learning about money.

This age range is also significant developmentally. Between 4 to 8, children are forming their sense of independence and self confidence. Financial literacy can support that process. When children understand that they can make choices to save, spend, wait, or plan, they begin to see themselves as capable decision makers.

At the same time, children in this stage are deeply curious and unafraid to ask questions. They absorb information quickly, and ideas introduced during these years often become part of how they see the world as they grow older. When financial literacy is introduced early, much like sports, music, or language, it becomes familiar rather than intimidating.

At this stage, the goal is to build good habits, familiarity, and confidence. When children grow up feeling that money is something they understand and can talk about openly rather than something mysterious or uncomfortable, they are far more likely to approach it thoughtfully and responsibly as adults.

The nuance isn’t necessarily about dividing concepts by age. It’s more about sequencing and layering ideas thoughtfully.

We can begin with simple frameworks, such as what children can do with money: saving, spending, and sharing. Once they are comfortable with those categories, we can guide them to think more intentionally about their decisions – distinguishing between needs and wants, saving toward a goal, or contributing from a shared piggy bank to buy a birthday present for someone they love.

From there, the learning can become more experiential. Involving children in grocery shopping and asking them to help choose items encourages them to think about value and trade-offs in a real-life context.

As their understanding deepens, those same principles can naturally extend into simple planning conversations, such as helping the family save together for a short vacation or another shared goal.