Character Building ~ Integrity

Character Building ~ Integrity

This week’s Moola Monster character is Allie Bolin. Allie has a very unique character gift. Her’s is the gift of “Integrity”. Integrity is a word in our culture that for me seems to be becoming more and more of an enigma. How do we recognize and reward integrity in our culture today? How do we even define it?

On the surface integrity seems easy enough. The word stirs up thoughts of honesty and forthrightness. When I think of integrity I think of a person who moves with the intent of doing God’s will in spite of consequences, or judgment from others.

I hear our culture crying out for men and women of integrity every day. We seek politicians who may show an ounce of integrity. We look to our sports, movie, and music heroes to be the one different individual who acts with integrity. However, for some reason our society continues to reward just the opposite. The media relentlessly places focus on the loss of integrity rather than those who make integrity a key aspect of their personal life definition.

In a world that is quickly losing its hope for integrity how can we teach our children the values that embody the definition of integrity. Here are a couple of key thoughts:

1. When you witness your child or someone else acting with integrity, be sure and point that act out to your son or daughter. Let he, or she, know what it was about that act that indicated to you the spirit of integrity was present.
2. When you witness your child or someone else behave without integrity, gently explain to your son or daughter why that behavior lacked integrity.

Help them to recognize good vs. bad behavior. If you do not take the moment to help them understand why, or why not, a person is behaving with integrity, then be sure the world will try and shape that definition for your child. God has given us the responsibility to stand in the gap between the world’s influence on our kids and their innocence. There is a simple way to do that… talk to them and above all walk with the path of integrity with them.

All the Best!

 Grant Magers, CEO

Moola Monsters

www.moolamonsters.com

CHARACTER BUILDING

Character Building
Here at Moola Monsters we speak of character in two contexts. The First is our fun loving characters on our cards and the second is the gift they give to the world. For instance, today I want to speak with you about our character “Busly O. Saurus”. Busly’s gift is service. Service is a character trait that in today’s world has been reduced to how we are treated at a restaurant or how many minutes we have to wait on hold when we call our cell phone company. However, in the world of Moola Monsters, service means giving of oneself for the benefit of another in spite of the inconvenience in may create for us.
When it comes to teaching our children the value of service we often think we need to have them give up some toys at Christmas for children who may have less or work at a soup kitchen on a Saturday morning. While these moments with our children are certainly valuable teaching moments, and I fully support them, what are some smaller everyday steps that build the gift of service within our kids? It is the everyday moments that develop long term character traits. Here are some simple ways to encourage a spirit of service with your kids that they can do weekly or even daily.
1. Give them the responsibility of helping their siblings. If you children have siblings have them help each other, even when it is not their specific responsibility. They should pick up toys together. Do chores together. When one finishes their chores first, have them help the other. If you have an only child, have your child help friends when visiting another’s home. Have your child help you or you can help your child. When we learn to serve the ones we love then it becomes easier to serve those we do not.

2. When you see your child perform a “good deed,” recognize the effort with your child. Encourage them, by telling them what a great job they did and how proud it makes you to see them help others. Use the word “help”. Children understand that word, because it is one of the first words we teach them to associate with needing assistance.

3. When we have opportunities to serve others, be sure and explain to your children why you did what you did. “Michael, did you notice how I held the door for your grandmother? I did that because she needs our help opening doors. Would you like to help her next time?” Take the extra 30 seconds to explain moments of service to your children. Take the time to share with them the importance of serving others.
In our busy world it is becoming harder and harder to recognize those opportunities God places in front of us to serve others. I have found that when we focus on teaching our children the value of service, it becomes easier to recognize those opportunities and as a result we become better servants ourselves.

All the Best!

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters
www.moolamonsters.com

PARENTING IS HARD

Parenting is Hard
Recently, I have had several conversations regarding the difficulty of parenting. Today’s moms and dads are often stretched to their physical and emotional limits. As a result many of them subscribe to a “pick your battle” mentality.
It is certainly understandable to see how parents reach this conclusion. After all by the time we get home from work, fix a meal for the family, assist our children with home work, and go through the bedroom routine, we are generally exhausted. Our single parents have the added pressure of trying to do it all by themselves.
I want to encourage each of you to keep up the good work. As hard as parenting is, you all are a gift to your children and to the world. In the middle of all of the stress of this economy, our jobs, and our relationships you still make a choice everyday to give your children your very best.
Here are a couple of helpful tips to help you stay engaged:
1. Speak with friends about your challenges. Odds are they are going through the same stress and fatigue and can provide you much needed empathy to cope. They may also be able to give you tips that have worked for them and vice versa.

2. Take care of yourself. When you do find yourself completely exhausted it is better to walk away and regroup than to lose patience with your children. If you do not take care of yourself when you need to, it will be more difficult to care for your children.

3. Use the tools that are available. There are many tools on the market that are designed to help you. With the pressures on us as parents it is important to use tools that can offer us structure and consistency. It may help you reduce the stress and fatigue.

Please do let your fatigue prevent you from doing what you know needs to be done in parenting your children. Do not let fatigue steal the opportunity to help your children grow. We need to encourage and uplift each other to stay diligent in raising our kids.
All the Best!

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

PREPARING YOUR CHILDREN FOR A BETTER FINANCIAL FUTURE

Preparing Your Children for a Better Financial Future
I love being a parent. I have two boys ages 7 and 5. Just listening to them laugh is enough to make my day complete. Their happiness is my goal in life. Helping them achieve that happiness is not an easy task. We want our children to be happy. We want to protect them from all the pain of the world.

We do so many things to protect them. We put them in the best child-safety seats money can buy. We sort through every piece of Halloween candy and examine each piece carefully to make sure they are good to eat. We teach them the value of nutrition and exercise so their bodies will be healthy and grow. We make sure they do their homework and are making good grades to school. As parents we take great care in making sure our kids will have happy lives. The truth is that we want them to be happy kids, but more importantly we want them to be happy adults. Our children will spend 75% or more of their life as an adult. Almost all things parents teach children are for the child’s future as an adult. Ironically one of the things, as parents, we fail to teach adequately to our children is how money works in our world.

When it comes to money we have a tendency to make two major mistakes. First, we hope the schools will teach them. After all the schools teach them to count and make change. I know plenty of adults who can count and make change, yet they cannot retire. They have too much debt. They have filed bankruptcy. Being able to count and make change does not create an understanding of how money works. The second mistake we make is we assume our kids will catch on using allowances and piggy banks. As a child I had an allowance, I saved change in a piggy bank, and yet in early adulthood I found myself broke. How about you? We were all told to save. We were all told to work for money, but the majority of our country has been financially brought to their knees. So as parents why are we repeating the same mistakes that our parents made.

Having general knowledge about eating healthy and exercising does not ensure a healthy lifestyle. Would you tell your kids to eat vegetables and then serve them candy? Would tell them the advantages of exercise and then allow them to sit in front of the television 24 hrs a day? No, as parents we get them involved in that lifestyle. We enroll them in sports activities. We give them nutritious meals. They live the lifestyle we teach them. So how do we transfer that same experience to financial behavior?

If you want to reach your children for a better financial future, look at how money works in your life. You earn it, you spend it, and if you do not have any you cannot do the things you need or want to do. Create that same economy for your children in the home. For instance, in my house if my children want to play a game console it cost them 15 Moola Monsters per hour. If they want junk food, it cost them 5 Moola Monsters. My kids live in a child friendly economy in our house so they understand cash flow, savings, investing, etc. I built an economy for my kids so they live by the same financial principles I live by. I want them to understand how the world works, so when they grow to be adults, they will have the foundation to make the right decisions financially.

To learn more visit our website at www.moolamonsters.com. Remember, no matter what interest your child has as they grow up money will be a part of their lives, so give them they best education you can regarding managing it responsibly.

Sincerely,
J. Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

GO-GIVER

Go-Giver
There is a great book called “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann. The book was written for business professionals in order to give us a different way of looking at the world. Rather than looking at it from the perspective of “go get”, they brilliantly suggest we “go give” in order to get. We must give in order to receive.

I found it interesting that these gentlemen saw a weakness in our business ethic and wrote a book to encourage a shift in thinking about the way we go about receiving in this world. So how does this lesson apply to raising our children? It seems obvious enough. Who doesn’t want their children to be gracious to others? However, how many children grow up to be “geters” rather than “givers” in our culture.

We live in a society that holds competition and winning at the highest levels. Unfortunately sometimes at all costs. The truth is I want my kids to win as much as the next person, but like this book we need to reestablish what winning is all about. Competition is good. It is what drives our great country, and I personally believe that competition makes all of us better. So I am not advocating being a doormat. However, I am advocating scripture, the meek shall inherit the Earth (Matthew 5:5).

We need to teach our children to be givers. It is through giving that the highest forms of receiving is earned. They need to be taught to give of their time, their talents, and their treasures without misguided expectations of return. By doing these things they will find that a world of opportunity will open that is unlimited in its potential for good. Thank you authors of the Go-Giver. We appreciate your insight.

Sincerely,

Grant Magers,
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

PIGGY BANKS

Piggy Banks
Last week I was presenting to a group of parents at a local church. Before I went up to speak it struck me to ask them, “how many of you had a piggy bank growing up?” Every hand in the audience went straight up. I then asked them, “How many of you regularly were taught to put money in your piggy bank and save?” Every hand stayed in the air. Then asked them, “Now as adults, how many of you save money the way you know you should?” Every single hand went down.

Isn’t it interesting that so many of us were taught to save money, but so few of us do it. I have a theory… It is because “to save” has no intended consequence if it is not done. Children and adults respond to consequence. “If you do not eat dinner then you will not get desert.” “If you run the red light you will get a ticket resulting in a fine.” We respond to the consequence to create a positive habit.

Why do we go to work? Because, if we do not then there will be potential disastrous consequences for our lives. Why do we lock our doors? Why do we go to school? Why do we have our kids do their homework? Why do we do anything that requires disciple, if it is not to better ourselves and protect ourselves from negative consequences. Consequences are a large part of the decision making in human nature. This is why the third rule of money for kids is written: “If you spend all your money you will not have any left.”

When a child is operating in the Moola Monster System they learn right away what this means. When they do not have any money there is immediate consequences to what they are able to do. Teach your children how to understand the consequence of not saving very young. If they spend all they have, they will not have any money left.

All the Best,

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

FISH FOR KIDS

Fishing for Kids
Recently I was given the book “Fish” by Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen. If you have not had a chance to read “Fish”, I highly recommend picking a copy up today. The book itself is directed towards increasing morale and improving results in business, but the four principles the the book emphasizes is good to practice for all areas of our life, especially in our relationship with our children.

Principle 1: Choose Your Attitude

How often do we get home tired from work, and our attitudes may be a little less than optimal. It is so important for us to choose our attitude when we are with our kids. Our time with them is precious and limited. We need to have a positive attitude as much as we can around our children.

Principle 2: Play

Who knows better how to play than our kids. They can bring out the kid in us if we let them. Find time to play.

Principle 3: Make Their Day

Who doesn’t love it when someone goes out of the way to make our day? Take them on a walk. Go out for ice cream. Read them a book. Making a child’s day is as simple as spending quality time with them.

Principle 4: Be Present

This may be the most important and the most difficult principle to apply on a consistent basis. When we are with our children we need to focus on them. It is so easy to let our minds drift off into work or bills when we are spending time with our kids. It is so easy to jump on the cell phone when are kids are wanting our attention. Be present for them. Look them in the eye when they are speaking. Acknowledge their comments and questions. When you are with them, give them your full attention.

The “Fish Philosophy” is great for growing our relationships with our children. Remember to choose your attitude, play, make their day, and be present.

Wishing you the best,

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

CREDIT CARDS…TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Credit Cards…to use or not to use?
Let’s face it, we all have them. Credit Cards are everywhere. They call to use at those moments of impulse. They remind us that we can have the larger items from time to time. They even will whisper in your ear…”we are the same thing as money”…”you can afford it” …”just this one time.”

Credit card companies have lulled us to sleep about what money actually is, and what it is not. Having money is not the same thing as having credit. Credit is access to money that belongs to someone else. Credit is ones ability to borrow and nothing else. So when we purchase on credit cards we are borrowing money. In most cases that ability has a price tag called an interest rate. How many of us today are paying the price for borrowing too much and allowing the interest rates to overtake our ability to pay off our debts?

Let me offer one simple rule that will keep your kids from falling into the same trap. Rule #2 for Kids: “If you do not have money then you can’t spend money.” If you want something then you need to have the available CASH to purchase the item. If you need something we should budget so we have CASH to purchase the necessity. Borrowing money should always be kept to a minimum and only when absolutely necessary. Teach your children that to be independent they cannot ever become slave to the lender. Teach them to use cash.

Sincerely,

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

WORK ETHIC

Work Ethic
Work Ethic…. As a business management consultant, it is one of the most common issues that I hear from business owners when it comes to their employees. They generally say that “he (or she) lacks a good work ethic.” That comment is generally followed with “he(or she) has a sense of entitlement.” Have you ever been around a co-worker or employee who lacks good work ethic. It can be very frustrating and can sometimes drag you down as well.

One thing is for sure, if we want to turn the economic state of our country around we are going to have to put in some hard work. We are going to have to be living examples of Rule #4 for kids: “I have to work hard and smart to earn more money.” We need to explain to our kids what it means to work hard and smart. We need to teach them how to work hard and smart. We also need to show them, by our own actions, what it is to work hard and smart.

Our children are watching us. They are learning from us. We are their super heroes. Please, when you go to work or have to spend that extra hour helping them with their homework, lead by example and work hard and smart.

Sincerely,

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
www.moolamonsters.com

GOD AND MONEY

God and Money
Recently, I have been having a lot of questions surrounding the topic of God and money. Specifically, is money a man made system, or a God created system. This is not an easy question. In my attempt to address it, I hope that I will, at the very least, persuade you to consider the question.

Did you know that there are 1600 Bible versus pertaining to money and approximately 500 of them include the words money, riches, or wealth. Let’s face facts God takes the topic of money very seriously. I think we can all agree to that point. Ultimately the question will come down to do you believe God is in complete and total control, or do we have control. If He has complete and total control then it is reasonable to say he created the concept of money, the function of economies, and the resources they represent. If you believe we have control then it is a reasonable position to believe we created money and economies to manage the resources.

I am not a judge or jury on this topic. It is an important question to ask ourselves. It is an important question for us to wrestle with in our minds. Hopefully, in doing so we will come to know God more completely. If the topic of money is important enough for Him to include it in the Bible 1600 times, then the topic deserves our attention.

Sincerely,

Grant Magers
CEO
Moola Monsters, LLC
grant.magers@moolamonsters.com
www.moolamonsters.com