My two sons, who are in their early 20s, were at home, working remotely. Both had adequate financial awareness to steer clear of people trying to sell them pyramid schemes or insurance-linked investments. However, they were curious about cryptocurrency as an investment vehicle.
It was obvious that they were hearing stories from their peer group and were watching YouTube influencers on this topic. Thankfully, they considered it prudent to discuss it with me before committing to anything.
Since I had spent time learning about the underlying technologies such as hash algorithms, blockchains, proof of work, etc., I was able to have an in-depth conversation with them. I was able to convince them that my opinions were informed, and I was not yet another “Boomer”, who feared new things that he did not understand.
This later turned into a series of post-dinner conversations which went into several fundamental questions. What exactly was money anyway? If there is nothing underlying cryptocurrency, as well as other currencies, why were these different? Why should one save and invest? Why is there a concept of an interest rate?
I started writing down my thoughts on these questions, both as a way to clarify them in my own mind and to explain it in simple terms. I shared some of my writing with many of my friends and colleagues who were older than my sons. The feedback I received was very positive. They found these write-ups accessible and useful. So I decided to embark on a project of organizing these discussions into a book.
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I managed to self-publish the book on the Notion Press platform and requested Pattu to review the book and give me suggestions on how to improve the content. I am extremely grateful to Pattu for offering to mention it on freefincal. Unfortunately, as a newbie book author, I have not yet managed to create an eBook version. The book is only available in paperback format, and only in India. I also had to price it at Rs. 799 because I wanted the interiors to be printed in colour. The book is available at Notion Press, Amazon, and Flipkart. If you order it from the Notion Press Website, please enter coupon code FREEFINCAL for a 25% discount.
I have tried to make the book accessible to anyone with a bachelor’s degree. It does have a few simple equations and several graphs. So some level of comfort with basic mathematics is recommended for anyone wishing to buy the book. Please do not buy the book to learn more about crypto. I only make a passing mention of cryptocurrencies and mostly recommend against investing in crypto.
Primer on Money and Investing: Fundamental concepts and first-principles based understanding of money and investing is available at Notion Press, Amazon, and Flipkart. If you order it from the Notion Press Website, please enter coupon code FREEFINCAL for a 25% discount.
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About The Author
Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has over nine years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter or Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free investment advice.Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! ⇐ More than 3000 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter what the market condition is!! Watch the first lecture for free! One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
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Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. - Arun.Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
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