DC Native Launches Kids Financial Literacy Game & Book

Welcome back into Good Day DC. Teaching kids about money doesn't have to be boring. A DC native and former corporate executive is turning lessons about budgeting, saving, and investing into magical adventures for kids. So here to tell us more about how her Clever Sense book series is author and founder, Katie Salters. Katie, so good to have you. Welcome. So great to be here. Thank you for having me on your show. You're so welcome. And I was telling you, I wish this was around when I was coming up. We all do. So tell us about CleverSense. This is a book series, and now you have an interactive game in development. Yes, yes. So CleverSense is a financial literacy platform for kids ages 5 to 10, really focusing on making sure they have those key concepts around earnings, savings, spending, budgeting. Thank you, Jane. And some of these characters in the book, we're looking at one of the main characters here, Leah Brightwood. But some of these were inspired by your own family members. Absolutely. Absolutely. So my grandmother, Darnell, was my first financial advisor. And she really focused on wants versus needs. She made all daily activities about teaching me around about financial literacy. And so she works in the food market and the books. And so it was a really great way to have her on this journey with me because she's no longer here. One thing that stands out to me, obviously the illustrations, the colors, they pop, but the messaging, like you said, investing, budgeting, and then also a book that you said touches on a bit of peer pressure. Absolutely, absolutely. So the first book, Leah Brighton and the Budget Quest, is really inspired based on my own childhood. And, you know, my little conversation I overheard from my parents talking about the need to tighten our own belts. And so in this book, Leah Brighton goes off to learn about saving and spending and budgeting. And the second book, Leah Brightwood and the Seed of Investing, now that she's mastered those key concepts around saving and spending and budgeting, she wants to learn more. She wants to learn about investing, how that can impact her long-term financial goals. And then finally, Leah Brightwood and the Glow of Belonging, that's all about peer pressure relative to spending and making sure that your spending really is focused on your own priorities. And not what your friends have. And sometimes even as adults, we struggle with that, right? Oh, for sure. And so the great thing about these books is that they all have activities at the end to really help to reinforce those lessons in the books. I love that. Talk about the game as well that's going to take us inside of these adventures. Yes. So, of course, the books are all about providing kids with a foundation around some of those key concepts. But there is a 3D video game that's currently under development. Where the kids will be able to apply the lessons they learned into the games. So really teaching kids about entrepreneurship because they learn about how to manage a business. They run a seasonal stand. That's how they make money. There's also a mall where they're forced to understand needs versus wants. Going to the grocery store versus going to the toy store. So lots of great things in the game. So more to come. So stay tuned. This is brilliant. Katie, I can really feel your passion for this. We were talking. You told me that this is a passion project that's been in the works for years now. What did you see where you said, you know what, this is needed and the time is now to make it happen? Absolutely. Well, I spent more than 15 years working in the private equity industry. But I always provided coaching and mentoring to young adults in the area of financial literacy. And the one thing that stood out to me is that we absolutely need to make sure that children have this information much sooner. They have access to digital wallets. So tools like Cleversense help to ensure that they're able to make smart financial decisions. I'm going to talk a little bit about Like I said, I wish this was around when I was a kid, too. I mean, you make it so easy to digest, and I think that that's one of the challenges for anyone who's learning financial literacy, even some adults. Absolutely, and we want people to know that financial literacy is not a scary topic. It is absolutely fun to learn, and the more you know, the brighter your future will be. So I encourage parents to be on this journey with their children. Read the books. Complete the activities with them. But more importantly. Have the conversation. Let it be a part of your day-to-day activities. When you are at the dining room table, when you're in the mall, when you're in the grocery store, talk about what are your needs versus wants. What are your own priorities as a family? Having those conversations today will absolutely help to prepare them for a brighter future. I love this so much. How can people get their hands on these books right now? Absolutely. They are available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and many other retailers worldwide. And they make an excellent holiday gift. Oh, 1,000%. This is right on time. And again, the website here, www.clever-sense.com to get your copies and to just follow the journey. I can't wait for the game to come out. Absolutely. We'll have to come back to talk about it. I definitely will. Definitely. Thank you. Appreciate you. Thanks so much. Thank you for having me on your show.