CANMORE – Moolah. Dough. Bread.
Whatever word you use for money, it's all the same colour at the end of the day: green. And one local author wants to help get more of that green stuff in your pocket.
Available now are Canmore author Nancy O'Hare's latest books, From Wages to Riches and Reclaim Your Financial Wits, a set of personal finance introductory books that tackles the groundwork of managing funds in easy steps for young adults getting started and adults looking to get back on the green road.
"It's a simple, short set of books that's intended for people who don't have a clue or don't know where to start – it gives them that starting point," said O'Hare. "It's a few basic things I think everyone should know to at least understand that groundwork."
O'Hare, author of travel books Dust in My Pack and Searching for Unique, has worked in finance roles across five continents. She earned an executive MBA in London, U.K. and held a chartered professional accountant designation for nearly two decades.
Although, she's not specifically a financial planner nor does she claim to be, O'Hare said the books give a quick overview in a world where obtaining this knowledge can be overwhelming and confusing for beginners.
"It kind of came up as an idea a couple months ago," said O'Hare. "My nieces and nephew are just getting to the age and were asking their parents about investing ... and I was thinking there are less than 10 key lessons I wish I could put in a book for them on it; if you know nothing else, at least know this."
Released today!
— Nancy O'Hare (@DustInMyPack) November 20, 2020
From Wages to Riches: For young adults who want to be financially independent https://t.co/ieuoWfOU5d#newbook #booklaunch #bookrelease #newrelease #reading #WagesToRiches #PersonalFinance #Money #amwriting pic.twitter.com/xVmgcD6dRW
The books offer lessons, tips, things to know, and questions you should be asking in eight easy steps. Each provides similar content, but with a few different examples and extra points in the adult book Reclaim Your Financial Wits.
O'Hare added North Americans tend to have a higher ratio of personal debt than other parts of the world, which is why learning these easy steps can save you for big financial headaches.
"The biggest lesson that hit home for me the most, it's the first lesson, it's the most simple, it's what everyone hears: spend less than what you earn," said O'Hare.
"I think the problem we have in general as a society here is there's so much debt and financing that people take on maybe because they aren't challenging themselves enough to say ... 'where do I really get value in things that are not food and shelter and what you really need?' "
Acting as a starting point, O'Hare's books have a list of recommended reads for those looking to learn more about personal finance.
For paperback, the From Wages to Riches and Reclaim Your Financial Wits are $14.99 each, and $3.93 for ebook. They can be found at Café Books in Canmore as well as the standard bookstores such as ChaptersIndigo, Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo.
