When you hear “Money Dragon,” what comes to mind? An imposing, fire-breathing creature with dollar signs for eyes? Sharp teeth, big wings, and impending doom? Depending on your relationship with your finances, some money dragons are scarier than others. Today, we’re going to discuss how you can learn to dance with your money dragon in this quick introduction to financial literacy.

Does the thought of looking your finances straight in the eye send terror through your veins?

Do you ever have this thought -this dragon-it’s too big to fight, and too fast to outrun. So you avoid it altogether, unknowingly exposing yourself to even greater financial risk.

But what if, instead of running from the money dragon, you danced with it?

Dancing with the Money Dragon: An Introduction to Financial Literacy

Maybe you didn’t even know dancing with the dragon was an option available to you, that some people actually have a healthy relationship with their money.

I’m here to show you how you can turn your dragon into your dancing partner, rather than something to run from.

By the way, I talk more about my money dragon philosophy in this interview!

Naming Your Money Dragon

So, let’s cut right to the chase by naming your money dragon and figuring out exactly why it causes such a great barrier to financial planning for you. While you might guess “not having enough money” is the biggest money dragon we all have, that’s not quite it.

Instead, FEAR is much more likely.

All too often, the more we avoid looking at our money dragon, the scarier it becomes.

To overcome this fear and become empowered in our financial choices, it takes looking this dragon in the eye and creating an entirely new relationship.

In action, that means getting really clear on your current finances, making plans for the future, and learning as much as you can about your money in general.

Over time, you’ll begin to see this dragon as your companion, rather than a threat.

Another thing you need to know about your money dragon is there’s no getting rid of it so you might as well embrace it!

One way to get more comfortable being closer to this dragon is to become as financially literate as possible. And that all starts with an introduction to financial literacy.

The benefits of financial literacy

Whether you’re in the phase of an introduction to financial literacy or you’re further on down the process, there are significant benefits to the knowledge and insight you’ll gain at each point.

Right off the bat, here are some of the advantages of improving your financial literacy:

• You’ll dance with, not fight, your money dragon
• You’ll feel empowered making financial decisions
• Terms like “assets” and “estate planning” will be much clearer
• Reduce the likelihood of being a victim of fraud
• You’ll be able to budget more effectively
• You’ll improve your financial, credit, and debt management skills

Financial literacy is important at ALL ages, and it’s often put off for far too long. To learn more about how young people can take the first steps toward being financially literate, take a look at this post.

Fun Financial Literacy Course

Ready to dive deeper into your introduction to financial literacy? Take a look at my  Money Management Course, in partnership with Tara Tennant and Trevor Strong.

We’ve put together simple, achievable lessons, using plain language, and real-world examples and analogies to help you improve your own financial literacy and reap the rewards that come with it.

We think you’ll find it refreshing, and dare we say, fun!

In the meantime, if you’d like to talk more about financial planning, literacy, or philanthropy and inheritance planning, use this form to contact me.

Did you enjoy this quick introduction to financial literacy? Here are three more you might also enjoy:

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