The Art of Allowance Podcast | Parenting | Families | Money Smarts | Financial Literacy

During this episode of The Art of Allowance Podcast, host John Lanza speaks with guest Josh Golin about the evolving landscape of children's online safety, the importance of limiting kids’ screen time and the legislative efforts aimed at protecting children from harmful digital marketing practices. They discuss the challenges families face in managing screen time, the significance of early childhood education and the need for collective action among parents to advocate for change. Josh shares personal experiences raising his daughter commercial-free and emphasizes the importance of instilling values around money and media consumption in children. He also highlights the urgency of supporting legislation like the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to create a safer digital environment for children.

Josh Golin is the Executive Director of Fairplay, an organization dedicated to protecting children from exploitative practices by marketers and Big Tech. Under his leadership, Fairplay has influenced major changes at platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Amazon. Josh has testified before Congress and regularly speaks to parents, policymakers and professionals about children’s media health. He also has appeared on Good Morning America and Fox News and in The New York Times and The Washington Post. He lives in Vermont with his wife, teenage daughter and dog.

During this episode of The Art of Allowance Podcast, host John Lanza speaks with guest Courtney Fulmer, the newly appointed President/Chief Executive Officer of SECNY Federal Credit Union. They begin by discussing the opportunities credit unions have to combat America’s “financial illiteracy epidemic” and the role these institutions play in providing psychological support to their members. Courtney then shares how her journey teaching her son money smarts evolved, how her family influenced her financial decision-making and how her colorguard experiences impacted her credit union leadership. She also emphasizes the need for empathy and community support when offering financial education.

Courtney Fulmer is the President/Chief Executive Officer of SECNY Federal Credit Union in Syracuse, NY. She has worked at this institution for over 20 years in various operations, marketing and business development roles. Courtney initiated youth programming at SECNY, which has been a Money Mammals and an Art of Allowance Project partner for nearly a decade. She is also a colorguard staff instructor for her high school alma mater and serves as Secretary of the New York State Field Band Conference. Courtney received her degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University and resides in Syracuse with her husband and teenage son.

In this Art of Allowance Podcast episode, host John Lanza speaks with guest Diana Graber about the challenges of and the strategies for raising kids in a digital world. They discuss understanding children’s developmental readiness for technology, emphasizing ethical thinking in digital spaces and balancing the risks and the benefits of an online presence. Diana highlights the importance of teaching teens to protect their finances digitally via privacy measures and scam avoidance and the dangers of oversharing online. (Both kids and adults are guilty!) She and John also explore the need for parents to advocate for digital education in schools, especially through peer learning opportunities. Diana Graber is the author of Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology and the founder of Cyberwise and Cyber Civics, two organizations devoted to digital literacy. She developed and still teaches Cyber Civics, the popular middle school digital literacy program currently in use in the US and across the globe. Diana has appeared on The Today Show and NBC Nightly News as well as in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She has a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA and an M.A. in Media Psychology and Social Change from Fielding Graduate University.

In this special episode, host John Lanza teams up with Stacking Benjamins Podcast host and previous Art of Allowance Podcast guest Joe Saul-Sehy to interview author Jon Acuff. These three dads discuss parenting challenges and strategies, particularly regarding teaching teens about money and life skills. They also explore the importance of empathy when parenting, the role of repetition in financial education and the value of kids’ seeking guidance from other adults. Their conversation emphasizes the need for parents to be open about their own money mistakes and to create a supportive environment in which their children can learn and grow. It also touches on the significance of self-awareness and the impact of overthinking in parenting.

Jon Acuff is a New York Times bestselling author whose newest book is How Teens Win. He is also an INC Magazine Top 100 Leadership speaker who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences and in companies around the world. Jon’s highly engaged social media followers and email subscribers look to him for his unique blend of humor, honesty and hope. He lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and two teenage daughters, with whom he co-wrote How Teens Win.

Host John Lanza and guest Erin McNeill discuss the importance of starting the media literacy conversation with children early, just like parents can do with the financial literacy conversation. Erin explains that kids are likely willing to understand and decode the myriad media messages they face. She even suggests that parents have conversations with teachers about integrating media literacy into classrooms and advocate for it to become a required skill taught in schools, just like reading and math. Erin and John also highlight the importance of digital wellness, the process of helping kids recognize targeted marketing, the connection between media literacy and financial literacy and the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. Erin McNeill is the CEO and Founder of Media Literacy Now. She established this nonprofit in 2013 to address the messages her children were receiving through cartoons and advertisements. Erin and Media Literacy Now are leading the grassroots movement to ensure all students learn the 21st-century media literacy skills they need for health, well-being, economic participation and citizenship.

Host John Lanza talks with guest Andy Hill about the journey from burdensome debt to financial freedom and, in particular, navigating such an experience with kids. Andy explains what his allowance system entails, how to communicate the power of compound interest and why he thinks modeling matters most when teaching money smarts. He also shares how he and his wife made changes in their own lives to be better financial models for their children, especially in the area of giving. Additionally, John and Andy discuss raising money-smart kids in spite of financial shame, having open money conversations, introducing the flex allowance, explaining good and bad debt, celebrating money wins and building up generosity.

Andy Hill is the award-winning family finance coach behind Marriage Kids and Money, a platform dedicated to helping families build wealth and happiness. Andy's advice has been featured on or in CNBC, Forbes, MarketWatch, Kiplinger Personal Finance and NBC News. With millions of podcast downloads and video views, Andy’s message of family financial empowerment resonates globally.

Returning guest Evan Wilson joins host John Lanza to talk about how his allowance system has evolved since his initial podcast appearance five years ago. He discusses helping his kids become savvy investors by adopting an ownership mentality, thinking about risk on the money-smart journey and wanting his kids to experience investing ups and downs when they are young. Evan and John also address leveraging compound interest, building wealth, starting the money conversation early and transitioning from money jars to debit cards.

Evan Wilson is the founder and general partner of Wilson Investment Partnership. There he invests in great companies, especially those that put customers first. Before becoming a full-time investor, Evan was a research analyst and CFO. For seven years he also co-hosted The Money JAR Podcast by Junior Achievement, which focuses on the intersection of kids and money. Evan is a husband and father of two who lives in Portland, Oregon.

Guest Dr. Ashley LeBaron-Black returns to the podcast to talk with host John Lanza about her research focus of family finance. Ashley first defines the terms “financial well-being” and “financial socialization.” She then highlights the importance of family modeling and open discussion on the money-smart journey. Ashley also emphasizes the essential nature of experiential learning and the shortcomings of classroom financial literacy. Both she and John then address the concept of money scripts, the ability of some kids (dubbed “financial phoenixes”) to overcome poor modeling and the need to go beyond rational-based instruction. Dr. Ashley LeBaron-Black is an Assistant Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University who received her PhD in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona. Her research focus is family finance, including couple finance and financial socialization. Ashley has published 33 peer-reviewed articles and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Family and Economic Issues. She is also Chair of the Family Financial Well-Being Focus Group for the National Council on Family Relations.

Guest Colin Ryan speaks to college-age kids nationwide and shares humorous anecdotes to help them grapple with money. He also encourages parents to see their children as the heroes of their financial stories, understand their kids' unique perspectives and personalize conversations to foster connections. During his podcast appearance, Colin and host John Lanza discuss the idea of “earning by saving,” the role of modeling and technology’s impact on financial well-being. They also chat about personal finance's emotional and psychological facets, finding success and contentment in a consumer-driven society, social media's power, vulnerability's importance and the value of connecting through shared experiences.

Colin Ryan is a comedic financial speaker, an author and an award-winning storyteller who has been featured everywhere from NPR and PBS to The Moth Radio Hour and Reader’s Digest. He was named one of the top ten finance presenters in America and has spoken to over one million students and adults. He is also the author of A Comedic Guide to Money and the founder of the Public Speaking for Leaders Podcast. As a speaker’s mentor, Colin is dedicated to helping talented leaders and public figures become fun, memorable and impactful communicators. He now lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife, Lindsey, and their dog, Remy.

Self-professed "money disaster" Joe Saul-Sehy shares his experiences with and insights on raising money-smart kids with host John Lanza. Joe recounts his own credit card debacle, which influenced how he approached money with his twins. He shares how he introduced them to money when they were young, his family's allowance system, his "circling back" strategy and how he tackled money conversations. He also discusses money tracking, the difference between saving and investing and responsible debt management. Additionally, Joe and John touch on the loneliness epidemic, the importance of financial coaching, having the freedom to make money mistakes and not making a purchase without a payment plan. Joe Saul-Sehy learned from failure. Destroying his credit immediately after leaving home, he had to gain financial experience the hard way. Ironically, he learned many lessons as a financial advisor. (Yes, he was telling other people how to manage their money!) After 16 years in the industry, he moved to financial media and created Stacking Benjamins, one of the most streamed podcasts in the personal finance sphere. He also co-authored the book Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management. Joe lives in Texarkana with his spouse, Cheryl, and cat, Cooper, and records shows in his mom’s next-door basement.