Does your child understand how money works?
Not yet? Follow the Money will give them the tools they need to manage their money now and as they grow.
Perfect for any parent who wants to build their child’s financial literacy skills.
No finance background required.
On sale August 4
Perfect for ages 8–12, or grades 3–7
$14.99 - a budget-friendly way to master money
Available for preorder now
Follow the Money is essential reading for kids who need to learn money basics.
Written by a certified teacher, financial educator, and mom of two, Follow the Money features:
Easy-to-understand money lessons for kids with real-life examples: They’ll learn how to budget, save for a special event or item, calculate a tip, avoid scams, and more.
Fun activities that reinforce each lesson: They’ll plan a party with a budget, choose school supplies (basic or personalized?), pay for a video game, differentiate between assets and debts, buy and sell stocks, and so on.
A unique game: Readers add or subtract money from their Treasure Chest as they move through the book, depending on the choices they make in the activities. How much money will they have at the end?
Kids taking charge: They decide which job to take, where to spend their money, how to invest their earnings, and more.
A handy glossary: Important financial concepts kids need to know—and an answer key that explains the age-appropriate math needed to make the financial decisions in the activities.
David Bach, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire, The Latte Factor, and more, says:
“I am often asked what’s a good book for kids and money —and Follow the Money is it. Parents now have an easy roadmap to use to empower their kids when it comes to learning about money with confidence.”
Engaging activities and understandable explanations of complex financial concepts
Financial Experts Are Saying:
“You know a financial literacy book is good when you start arguing with yourself over whether frosting cupcakes beats mowing lawns for extra cash. Follow the Money makes learning about money interactive, practical, and ridiculously fun. Kids will love it, and honestly, adults probably will too.”
—Joe Saul-Sehy, host of The Stacking Benjamins Show podcast“If you want your kids to develop an understanding of financial literacy skills but aren’t sure where to start, Follow the Money is the resource you need. Through interactive activities, your child will learn about saving, spending, and investing money—and will be ready to apply those skills to their real life.”
— Allison Baggerly, founder of Inspired Budget and author of Money Made Easy“The combination of financial literacy and discipline is so rare in our society that those with both often feel like they have a superpower. However, there is nothing preventing anyone from developing these traits, even at a young age. Alaina Trivax has crafted a fun, innovative way to teach these critical skills to those with the most time to take advantage of them.”
— Jim Dahle, MD, founder of The White Coat Investor“If you want your kids to understand personal finance but don’t know where to start, Follow the Money is an excellent place to begin. I love the creative ways Alaina explores topics like earning, budgeting, and saving while helping young people build strong financial habits early in life. If you’re looking for an interactive resource that will quietly equip your children to handle money wisely, start here.”
—Joel Larsgaard, founder and co-host of the How to Money podcast“As a mom to a 12-year-old, I really want my kids to understand money in a way I didn’t growing up. Not just saving, but how to make smart decisions, invest, and create real options for themselves later in life. If you want your kids to build financial literacy skills but don’t know where to start, Follow the Money is a great resource that makes saving, spending, and investing feel practical, interactive, and relatable for real life.”
— Naseema McElroy, founder of Financially Intentional“By combining storytelling with interactive, game-like elements, Follow the Money transforms what can be an intimidating topic into something engaging, practical, and fun. Kids will not only stay interested—they’ll internalize important lessons about earning, saving, spending, and making thoughtful financial decisions. This book doesn’t just explain money—it shows kids how to use it wisely through relatable scenarios and hands-on challenges.”
— Alex Wilson, CPA, PFS, tax professionalavailable for preorder now
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available for preorder now •
If you’re looking for a simple way to start money conversations at home, preorder today!
Preorder the book and you’ll be eligible for a supplemental Conversation Guide that I’m putting together to help you and your child get even more out of each chapter.
Add your email below and I’ll let you know the moment it’s ready!
Get the free Conversation Guide, too!
About the Author
Alaina Trivax is a certified teacher, a financial educator, and a household budgeter who helps kids (and grown-ups) understand money. She has spent more than a decade in the classroom helping middle school students build essential skills. Alaina also writes about personal finance and strives to make money less confusing for families.
She is passionate about teaching financial literacy because she knows that strong money skills can open doors later in life. Growing up, family conversations about budgeting, saving, and investing were a regular part of life. Those early experiences shaped her belief that financial literacy isn’t about how much money you have but rather is based on your understanding of how money works.
Alaina is the founder of Let’s Make It Grow, a project focused on helping parents raise financially confident kids, and believes that everyone can learn how to manage money.
You Might Be Wondering…
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Follow the Money is designed for kids ages 8–12. Kids in this range are old enough to grasp real financial concepts, but still young enough that learning through a game is exciting.
The activities scale in complexity as kids work through the book's seven chapters. Younger kids can complete them with a little parent support, while older kids can work through more advanced sections independently. Teens can still get quite a bit from the book, especially as an entry point before moving into more advanced financial literacy books for kids.
In Follow the Money, author Alaina Trivax doesn't talk down to kids. She explains financial concepts in an easy-to-understand way that's accessible and engaging for a wide range of kids.
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Yes. Follow the Money is built as a hands-on activity book, so kids can work through most sections on their own once they understand the format. The activities are designed to be completed independently or with occasional parent input rather than requiring constant supervision.
Of course, kids will find some activities more fun or easier to understand if they're able to talk through them with a grown-up, but plenty of kids will happily work through chapters on their own.
Ultimately, the book is designed to feel like a money game for kids — one they actually want to sit down with, not a workbook someone's making them finish.
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No prior financial expertise is required. That's the point.
The author, Alaina Trivax, has spent more than a decade as a middle school teacher, and she understands how to explain concepts to kids in a way that will make sense to them. Follow the Money explains each concept in kid-friendly language before the activity begins, so parents can support their child without needing to already know how to teach kids about money.
If you've ever wondered how to teach kids financial literacy but felt unsure where to start yourself, this book was built to meet you exactly there.
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Definitely! Author Alaina Trivax is a teacher, too.
With seven chapters and 35 activities covering concepts from what money is to the basics of cryptocurrency, Follow the Money offers enough structured content for teachers and homeschool parents to build lessons around teaching financial skills to kids in a group or classroom setting.
If you're already teaching kids about money, this book can help as a ready-made resource.
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It's both. Follow the Money is a financial literacy book structured around game-style activities rather than traditional reading and worksheets.
Author Alaina Trivax uses activity-based learning to teach specific concepts. That makes the book function as one of the more engaging financial literacy learning games on the market, while still delivering the depth of a full financial literacy curriculum.
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The short answer: it was written by a teacher, not just a finance person who decided to write for kids. Alaina Trivax is a middle school teacher and mom of two. She built the book around how kids actually learn, not just what they need to know.
Unlike many financial literacy books for kids that lean heavily on definitions and worksheets, this book uses activity-based learning across seven chapters and 35 activities to teach concepts ranging from basic money skills to cryptocurrency, making it a more hands-on entry point for teaching kids financial literacy.