Schools & Libraries
Start Smart Money Basics belongs wherever young people are learning how to build their future: in classrooms, libraries, counseling offices, and anywhere a sixteen- to twenty-three-year-old might pick it up and finally find money explained in plain language.
Written by Kay Hawley, a public school educator for more than 35 years who also taught financial awareness to hundreds of adults throughout the Twin Cities, Start Smart was created to help young people build confidence with money and carry that confidence into adulthood.
Why Educators Choose Start Smart
Educators choose Start Smart because it teaches ten money principles through real stories, reflection, and practical examples that help students connect financial concepts to their own lives. It meets students where they are—whether they are working long shifts to stay afloat, heading off to college, entering the workforce, or still figuring out what comes next.
Start Smart is a book students write in and keep. They work through it, mark it up, and make it their own. Long after the unit ends, students still have it. They can return to it when they buy their first car, sign their first lease, compare job offers, or make financial decisions they have never faced before.
The book is designed to complement the strong financial literacy programs schools already use. Those programs do an excellent job teaching skills, tools, simulations, and financial concepts. Start Smart adds the part that is often harder to teach on a screen: how to think about money.
Start Smart is about more than money. Before students can make good money choices, they need a clearer picture of where they want to go and what matters to them. The book gives them space to reflect on those questions and see how money fits into the bigger picture of the life they want to build.
It supports the financial literacy standards schools are working toward and fits naturally alongside existing personal finance curriculum. Start Smart was piloted with Minnesota high school students during the 2025–2026 school year, and a number of Minnesota schools will be piloting it in the 2026–2027 school year.
Flexible Ways to Use It
There is no single right way to use Start Smart.
Some teachers assign a chapter at a time. Others use selected sections to spark classroom discussion. Some place copies in their library or counseling office for students to discover on their own. Many simply hand the book to a young person who could benefit from a trusted guide.
Whatever fits your students and your program is the right way to use it.
Students may not remember every formula they learn. They do remember the ideas that change how they see themselves and their future.
How to Order
Schools and libraries can order through Ingram, the standard wholesale system, using the ISBN below.
Title: Start Smart Money Basics: 10 Money Principles Every Young Adult Should Know
ISBN: (coming soon)
If you would like a review copy, I would be glad to send one. For classroom sets, bulk orders, speaking engagements, pilot opportunities, or questions about pricing, please contact me at info@kayhawley.com.
If Start Smart can help your students approach adulthood with greater confidence and clarity, I would welcome the opportunity to put it in their hands.
Kay Hawley
Educator | Author | Speaker