Self-described Financial Hype Woman Berna Anat shares essential financial literacy wisdom in “Money Out Loud,” offering her personal take on all things budgeting, saving, and investing. As a starting point, Anat invites readers to uncover their Money Story – the family mythology, dreams, shame, and guilt – that underlies one’s personal attitudes about money. Anat centers her experiences growing up in a Filipino immigrant household in the Bay Area with conflicting orientations about finances. Like many Americans, Anat did not receive formal education in money management. The self-taught financial advisor took a serious look at her life goals and determined the changes she needed to make to achieve them in a timely manner.

As a fellow Filipina, I relished reading familiar anecdotes about Louis Vuitton handbags at community parties and family members fighting over the check at an all-you-can eat restaurant. The stories depicting immigrant striving and using money to portray status may be familiar to other newcomer communities as well. The section on choosing a bank discusses tips for undocumented immigrants to navigate the finance world. I appreciated Anat’s honest and candid take on the cultural factors that may be getting in the way of sound financial decisions. She writes in an inviting way, reminiscent of an Auntie who patiently listens to your money woes and does not give you a judgmental side-eye. Auntie Anat will give actionable advice that can be reasonably fact-checked. While she emphasizes the importance of taking personal responsibility for financial decisions, she also offers a lens on the challenges faced by marginalized Black and Brown people in a capitalist society.

It's a running joke that the American education system doesn't teach teenagers much about money or personal finances (like how to do your taxes among other things). This is a great book to remedy that and I hope there are some high school programs out there that use it in their curriculum. It has a sassy/sarcastic undertone that I think teenagers and YA readers will vibe with while also being very very informative about all aspects of personal finances as well as how money isn't equal among race and class.

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love how well Berna covers tough topics like 401Ks, Roths, savings (even HYSA!!), and even student loans - especially the dreaded compounding interest. This guide has a TON of really great information.

Somethings I would have liked to have seen mentioned, that comes up in our school's finance class that students still struggle with are:
- Credit Advances
- CDs/Bonds/Mass Money Markets
- Cosigning loans
- Grants vs Loans
- Credit monitoring/identity theft

I also don't know if I agree with suggesting credit card churning to a population that is still working on building credit. It feels irresponsible.

A requirement for our high school seniors to graduate is a finance course. It's simply not enough, though, and students usually attempt the course 2-3 times before they are "waived" through. I am that teacher that teaches the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but that only gets students so far in life. That's why I love keeping as much literature on real life money matters on my classroom shelves for students to pick through. I think it's so important, especially since many of my students are working their first jobs as they come through my class.