Mom’s Choice Awards is excited to announce another post in our interview series where we chat with the inventors, designers, publishers, and others behind some of our favorite family-friendly products.
Hello, Mom’s Choice readers, and welcome! In today’s interview, we’re able to speak with Mom’s Choice Award-winner Anthony Delauney, financial planning guru and author of the five-volume Owning the Dash book series. As a financial planner, he wanted to impart valuable lessons about money for children—lessons that will last a lifetime. His website says his mission is to provide books, games and activities that inspire childhood financial literacy and guide families on their journey to financial freedom. Parents who know that it’s never too early to learn about money are delighted by these strong but simple messages presented in a memorable and entertaining fashion.
MCA: Welcome, Anthony! To start off the interview, won’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a financial Dadvisor and the founder of Owning the Dash, LLC, an organization dedicated to promoting childhood financial literacy and family financial freedom. I have written a series of award-winning children’s picture books that each teach basic lessons about money. In addition, I have authored two financial self-help books geared toward helping young couples start their financial journey and toward helping older couples prepare for their transition into retirement. My 2022 self-help book The No-Regrets Retirement Roadmap was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as a 2022 Best Book About Aging and Retirement.
I have worked in the financial services industry for over two decades and have acquired the professional certifications of Certified Financial Planner(TM) practitioner, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor(SM), Retirement Income Certified Professional®, and Behavioral Financial Advisor(TM).
MCA: Financial literacy is so important for all ages. Please tell us what your path to becoming a writer was like, and your inspiration was for writing the Owning the Dash books.
I am a proud dad of two incredible kids who bring me joy every day of my life. I’m also a very lucky husband to have such a supportive and compassionate wife. My passion has always been helping families since I started my own.
Regarding my childhood, I experienced the stereotypical family structure: Mom, Dad, brother (me) and younger sister. Our family grew up in Lutherville, Maryland. My parents still live in the same house where I was born. My mom is one of seven children, and several of her siblings had families who lived in Maryland. I grew up with a lot of cousins who were almost like brothers and sisters to me. We all supported each other and celebrated together. Family was and still is a major priority.
To best understand my personality, I will share that I was voted among my high school peers as “the most worrisome person in our school.” Initially, this may have seemed like an insult, but it wasn’t. As a child my family, friends and community taught me the importance of compassion and empathy. My worrisome nature helped me to not take others for granted and to respect and value those around me. These values helped me to thrive as a financial planner for families over the past 20 years.
One of the most critical events of my life is an event that brought the Owning the Dash brand into existence. In 2015 I lost my older cousin, Greg Plitt. Greg was an immensely successful motivational speaker and fitness icon, but to me, he was like a tough-love older brother who helped mold me into the person I am today. I cherished my time with Greg growing up and followed in many of his footsteps with sports and other personal passions. Greg died unexpectedly in 2015, and his death led me to rediscovering my cousin in a whole new light. The videos and information on the Inspiration page of the Owning the Dash website tell the story of how, through Greg’s guidance and motivation, the books and brand were born. The original Owning the Dash book and title were my tribute to Greg.
MCA: What are the individual titles and some of the key lessons found in each Owning the Dash book?
Each is a rhyming book. Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game teaches children about the value of saving for the future, delayed gratification, patience and compassion.
In Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work, young children come to understand why their parents go to work and how the money that parents earn helps their family live. It introduces the basics of a family budget.
Rohan and Nyra and Big Sister’s Bet teaches children about how emotions and greed can influence our decision-making abilities.
Michael and Hannah and the Magic Money Tree helps young children understand a basic lesson about supply and demand and why we can’t simply just create more money to buy more things. It introduces the initial concept of inflation.
Akash and Mila and the Big Jump is a valuable lesson on empowerment.
This lesson is about trying new things, even if you fail after one or multiple tries. Failure is a way we grow and learn! Overcoming our fear of judgment is a powerful lesson that will instill confidence in the years to come. The story also shares how support and encouragement from peers plays a critical role in shaping one’s mindset about themselves and about those around them. We can all raise each other up
MCA: Anthony, we’d love to hear what’s next for your writing endeavors — do you have anything in the pipeline?
Yes! Kids’ picture book #6 (Iver and Luke – Owning the Dash) will release in late 2024. Also, the first Owning the Dash Kids’ Card game will release in early 2025!
MCA: Again, we thank you so much for joining us today—and we wish you the best in all future endeavors!
You can learn more about Viviana Falleti and her award-winning Owning the Dash book series by visiting his MCA Shop page.
