Hello, Mom’s Choice readers, and welcome! For today’s interview, we were able to speak once again with Mom’s Choice Award-winner Anthony Delauney, financial planning guru and author of the six-volume Owning the Dash Kids’ Money Book series. In Anthony’s latest addition to the series—Iver and Luke and the Friends-for-Others Club—siblings Iver and Luke try to help out when their mother is laid up after breaking her leg. When their efforts to mow the lawn and help with meals proves to be beyond them, they have to accept help from others—and learn some valuable lessons in the process.

As a financial planner, Anthony wanted to impart valuable lessons about money for children—lessons that would last a lifetime. His books, games and activities are designed to inspire childhood financial literacy and guide families on their journey to financial freedom. Owning the Dash Kids’ Money Book series and associated courses— intended for ages 4 to 8 and grades 3 to 5—are making their way into elementary schools across the country.

MCA: Anthony, we’re so glad you could join us today. Won’t you tell our readers something 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.

In addition to writing, I have worked in the financial services industry since 2003. I have acquired the professional certifications of Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM, Retirement Income Certified Professional®, and Behavioral Financial Advisor™.

MCA: Anthony, I know you’ve told us in an earlier interview, but would you remind readers of your journey to becoming a writer—your background and life experiences influence your writing?

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 a lovely tribute. Would you tell us what you inspiration was for writing Iver and Luke and the Friends-for-Others Club?

Serving as a financial advisor over the last 20+ years, I have seen many scenarios where events happen in a family’s life that are unexpected and can sometimes cause complications. The purpose of this book is to help children and parents think about those types of situations and how they can best prepare for those situations. It is also intended to help children understand the importance of helping others who are in need.

MCA: Can you share your creative process—how you generate ideas and bring them to life on the page?

Each of the Owning the Dash Kids’ books teaches a basic financial lesson. These lessons and topics are formulated based on my 20-plus years serving families as a financial advisor. I love telling stories, and I consider it especially fun to create stories that rhyme. It feels like putting puzzle pieces together. These books allow me to combine my professional expertise with my passion for storytelling and helping children.

MCA: What do you hope readers will take away from the books in this series?

Each book teachers a basic financial lesson, so my hope is that these books will inspire conversations between parents/teachers and children and will also help to prepare children for when they need to make financial decisions later in their lives.

MCA: What do you find most rewarding about the writing process?

The wonderful stories that parents, teachers and children share after they read one of the Owning the Dash Kids’ books and discuss the lessons from the books.

MCA: Please tell us how your books contribute to enhancing the lives of your readers.

These books are written to promote family discussion and to help parents and teachers engage in productive conversations when discussing basic financial lessons.

MCA: Can you share any memorable moments or feedback from readers that have touched you or reinforced the impact of your work?

The Owning the Dash Kids books were recently presented at a professional development conference for elementary school teachers in North Carolina. It was a full day of reading the books and then going through lesson plans associated with each of the books. The feedback from teachers at the event was spectacular! They shared how excited they were to introduce the books into their classrooms to enhance their discussions on basic financial concepts.

MCA: What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are just starting their writing journey?

Don’t give up and don’t compare your stage in the writing journey to others. Also, be prepared to have your path with your writing journey change as you move further along in your career.

MCA: As an author, what are your future plans or goals?

To turn Owning the Dash, LLC, into a leading resource for parents, teachers and financial advisors to use when searching for books, tools and activities to use to help promote childhood financial literacy nationwide.

MCA: Anthony, it has been a real pleasure speaking with you today. Thanks so much for joining us.