I was gifted a copy of Math Hack Secrets to read and review on Just to Claireify. All opinions expressed are my own.
Personal finance: a topic that’s always intimidated me, and even more so as a parent. I didn’t learn much about money management at home as a kid, and it wasn’t covered in-depth at school. And I know I’m not alone in that, either. Eric and I have done fairly well in life; we’re both thrifty personalities. But when it comes to teaching our kids financial literacy… well, let’s just say I was clueless. I didn’t even know where to start.
One of my resolutions for 2025 was actually to start allowances for my two older kids. I want to teach them about saving, spending and charity. So when I had the opportunity to review Math Hack Secrets: Level Up to Keep More of Your Money on the blog AND interview the author, Suzette Wheeler, about teaching kids financial literacy, it felt serendipitous. I jumped at the chance!
Math Hack Secrets covers a range of personal finance topics. On the more basic side, it details how to budget and get the best deals at the grocery store. On the more advanced end, it explains how to compare credit cards, purchase a vehicle or finance a home purchase. It contains valuable advice for just about everyone, from teenagers just starting to manage their own money to 30-year-old homeowners who didn’t get an adequate financial education growing up (ahem). I love how Suzette breaks down each idea into simple, actionable steps and goes through the math thoroughly. This is definitely a book I’ll be saving for my kids to read when they get older.
An Interview with Suzette Wheeler
Claire: What is your background in finance? What inspired you to write Math Hack Secrets?
Suzette: First, I earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration from UNLV. I majored in Finance and economics.
I then dedicated twenty-six years of my career to serving local governments in the Las Vegas valley. I held positions at Clark County, the City of Las Vegas, and the City of Henderson. I was responsible for conducting financial analysis and designing and executing innovative strategies for the departments I worked for. The innovative programs resulted in significant cost savings and increased revenue for local government entities.
I often see people struggling with their finances as I work in the real estate business and during my employment in government. My goal is to help them reduce their struggles by learning how to do quick math to save money every day. I found out that most people did not take a personal finance class in school. This book can help them learn the basic money management concepts, as well as how to make large purchases.
Claire: In your book, you talk about how even though math wasn’t a skill that came naturally to you, you ended up with a successful career that involves a lot of math! Your parents were a part of that, by helping you master the basics in elementary school. How else did they, or other adults, encourage you to continue on in math and help you learn to love it as you grew up?
Suzette: Once my father taught me how to fully understand the concepts of math, it helped me move forward. My mother was the grocery shopper and checking account expert. She taught me how to shop for groceries, clothes and other items.
My sister was a natural math whiz and would tell me the concepts I was learning was easy, and she would break down the concepts, so I understood it. As it turns out, during part of my career, my sister and I worked in the same department, the Clark County budget office. She spent time showing me how to estimate budgets and provided tips to quickly solve financial issues that would occur with department budgets. She was a big help to me.
Claire: Your parents were big on mastering math as a kid, partly because they knew it would help you financially in the future. How did they approach allowances and/or teaching money management in other ways?
Suzette: This is a funny story, but my dad would give us a $1 allowance for totally cleaning the house and washing all of the windows each week. $1 was not enough to buy anything, so my sister and I were creative, and saved Kool-Aid packets, so we could buy a Kool-Aid stand. We then sold Kool-Aid to the kids in the neighborhood. We also sold other things door to door, like homemade potholders, pet rocks, and other desserts. My mom was secretly behind the scenes, encouraging us to think of things to sell to make money.
My mom encouraged us to deposit the money we made into a savings account, and manage the savings account, to save up and buy things. I saved my money and bought a car when I was 17 years old.
Claire: Following up on the last question, what tips do you have for parents of grade-schoolers to help them understand the value of money? (You have a great quote in Math Hack Secrets about how paying with cash can help with this.)
Suzette: I think it is better to pay with cash, of course. I think that parents should set up a savings account for the children, and find ways for them to earn money, and deposit it in the savings account. A checking account will work as well. After the child has saved some money, offer the child some options: determine the price of an item they want, and compare it to the savings account balance. The child can decide to keep saving to buy something more expensive or buy something now.
I found value in the grocery shopping trips too. The parents can challenge their kids to find the lowest price item in the store. It will help them understand how to find the best price.
Claire: Growing up, only a few of my friends were tasked with managing some of their personal expenses starting around middle school (11-12 years old). Their parents would give them monthly clothing budgets or book/fun money budgets and let them spend as they chose. How did your parents teach you to manage your own money, so that you were prepared when you left the nest? Or, what ideas do you have for gradually transitioning that responsibility to kids?
Suzette: I think my mom taught us about money, by encouraging us to earn the money (Kool-Aid, pet rocks, potholders etc.). She also took us to the bank to open a savings account and deposit our earnings. I could see the savings balance increase. When I was in high school, and started a part-time job at a hamburger restaurant, my mom asked us to buy our own clothes for school. Saving up to buy clothes was an eye opener for me. I had to decide which items were necessary or not. I learned budgeting quickly, to spend money wisely.
Transitioning the grocery shopping to the children would be very valuable. The children would have a budget, and a shopping list. They would have to choose items that fit within the budget.
How do you teach your kids financial literacy?
As always, I want to hear from you, too, friends. Where did you start with teaching your kids about money? Do you have any financial literacy tips for kids from your own childhood to share?
If you’re looking to polish up your own math and money management skills, remember to check out Math Hack Secrets. Also, it would be a great gift for a teenager or early 20-something. Someone who’s about to move out on their own for the first time!
xx Claire