Category Archives: Uncategorized

*Dons tricorn hat and jumps on a galloping horse* THE BOOK IS COMING! THE BOOK IS COMING! THE BOOK IS COMINGGGGGG!!! UPDATE: THE BOOK IS HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE! In case you haven’t heard (or properly browsed this website), our book Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence (by Carol Pittner and Doug Nordman) comes outContinue reading “Podcast Roll Call”

To paraphrase my depression-era-born, Bronx-raised grandmother, she would love to live in a Tiffany jewel box.  As in that sleek, simple, rectangular, teal-colored cardboard box that often accompanies fine jewels from the Tiffany company. My mother and I have pondered this question for years.  Why a jewel box?  Why one from Tiffany of all places? Continue reading “Living in a Tiffany Jewel Box”

  As my husband and I eagerly await the arrival of our first child, I find myself thinking a lot about how to instill good values in my kid.  How can I teach my child to have a healthy relationship with stuff?  How can I ensure they understand what I mean when I talk aboutContinue reading “Experiencing Labors of Love”

There’s a blog title I never thought I’d write: struggling without electricity.  My family lives in north-central California, in a military/middle-class neighborhood; the last thing we’d expect to struggle with is reliable electricity.  And yet, in the five-ish months we’ve lived there, we’ve already dealt with four power outages, the longest stretching out for 7Continue reading “Struggling Without Electricity”

One of the hardest morals to teach children is: buy things that bring YOU joy, not because thing(s) are popular and it seems like everyone around you has it. Said another way, many people spend their money on things that are popular for a spell but add little long-term value to their life.  Fidget spinners,Continue reading “Buying Things That Bring YOU Joy”

“We knew it was time to teach you about money when you stopped trying to eat money.”       — Mom and Dad As soon as a child recognizes that money is not food, you can begin shaping their mind about what money is, and what money can be: an incredibly powerful tool that canContinue reading “Stop Eating Money”

Welcome to ChildFIRE, a blog about raising money-smart kids! ChildFIRE is two things. First, this is a blog about raising children in a world of Financial Independence and Retiring Early (FIRE) by someone who was one of those kids. Second, ChildFIRE is a pun on the fact that the nicknames I’ve earned in my life—likeContinue reading “(Stormin’), You Should Write a (Blog)”