You’re right, grandparents have an uncanny ability to hit the nail on the head when it comes to wise living. Taking control of your finances is so crucial, so much better than having to rely on others. Even though experts can help, the best person to make your financial decisions is you.

@ Marylou,

Welcome! So glad you made it to the party and especially via such a high-quality blog.

I bet you’re right, particularly those Americans who weren’t lucky enough to grow up with parents who could explain it to them. When I was in college, my grandfather urged me to take an econ course, and I blew him off because I was a humanities type of guy. Now, I wish I had, I wouldn’t have had to go learn it on my own and would have been able to take control of my own finances (rather than letting them control me) a lot sooner. Why are grandparents so right, so often?

No problem, I think there are a lot of people out there that are interested, but too embarrassed to ask questions like what is a stock because they feel like they should know it by now.

What they don’t realize is that most people couldn’t answer that question! Sure, we know that people buy them and make money, but as to what a stock or bond actually is…I bet most Americans would be stumped.

Thanks for running this series on finance made simple. This is great for beginners and reviewing fundamentals is always important even for veteran investors. I can’t wait for real estate!