The Parent Approved Smart Money Playbook for 18 year olds

From the team at Smart Start Publishing, this is the book every parent wants their teenager to read — and every teenager will actually want to finish.

Turning 18 is a huge milestone. You can vote, apply for credit, move out, take out loans... and, without the right guidance, you can accidentally make financial decisions that take years to undo. That’s where this book comes in.

The Parent-Approved Smart Money Playbook for 18-Year-Olds is a down-to-earth, practical, no-fluff guide designed specifically for new adults who want to start their financial life off right. Whether your teen is headed to college, starting work, or still figuring it out, this book meets them where they’re at — and gives them tools that work in the real world.

What’s Inside:

• Step-by-step financial skills for life:
  Learn how to budget, build credit, avoid debt traps, open the right bank accounts, and start saving for short- and long-term goals.
• Understand your paycheck and take-home pay:
  Know what’s being deducted and why, and how to make every dollar stretch further.
• Learn the power of saving and investing early:
  Set up an emergency fund, understand compound interest, and get started with investing — even with just a few bucks.
• Smart strategies for spending and earning:
  Discover how to tell if something is really worth it by comparing the cost to hours worked, and find side hustles that build income without burning out.
• Housing, transport, insurance, and more:
  Real talk about living on your own, affording a car, and staying safe — both physically and financially.
• Real-life examples and easy-to-follow actions in every chapter.

What Makes This Book Parent-Approved:

• Parent Pages in every chapter.
  These are dedicated one-page sections written just for you — the parent — giving you clear insight into what your teen is learning and how you can support them, encourage conversations, and stay involved without taking over.
• Step-by-step exercises designed for success.
  Every chapter includes simple, doable actions that help your teen put what they’re learning into practice — so they’re not just reading about good money habits, they’re building them right away.

Why You’ll Love It (and So Will They):

• Written in a voice that’s real, relatable, and never talks down.
• Focused on action, not theory.
• Covers everything schools didn’t teach — but life definitely will.

Whether your teen is moving out, starting their first job, or just getting used to financial independence, this guide is the resource they’ll come back to again and again.

Give them the head start you wish you'd had at 18.