Smart, Not Spoiled: The 7 Money Skills Kids Must Master Before Leaving the Nest by Chad Willardson

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544524250

Chadwillardson.com

Two-thirds of American parents today think their children are spoiled. From toys and laptops to smartphones and cars, our kids have grown increasingly entitled in what they believe we should do for them.

Kids may not appreciate the value of a dollar, but it’s hard to blame them. After all, what have they learned about money? Managing finances is rarely covered in schools, and as a parent, you probably don’t know where to start. How do you provide a strong foundation of financial knowledge for your kids with these gaps? What should they learn each year? How do you teach a skill set you never received yourself?

In Smart, Not Spoiled, financial expert and bestselling author Chad Willardson provides you with practical tools, tips, and stories that will help you teach the kids in your life how to think about money. Chad explores the seven skills your kids should know—and master—before they’re adults and helps you improve the financial literacy of everyone in your household. When it comes to financial success, you want your kids informed and prepared. This book is your chance to learn together so that the new path you forge for future generations is the right one.

About the author
Chad Willardson, CFF, CRPC, AWMA, is the President of Pacific Capital (a fiduciary wealth advisory firm he founded in 2011 that serves entrepreneurs and families) and ELEVATED (a coaching program for a select group of growth-focused entrepreneurs). He is the author of six best-selling books, creator of a new banking app that helps kids manage money, and Co-Host of The Smart Money Parenting Show, number 2 Podcast on Apple worldwide for Parenting, Kids & Family.

Before founding Pacific Capital, he spent 9 years at Merrill Lynch, where he ranked in the top 2 percent of over 16,000 Financial Advisors nationally. In addition to serving the family office clients of Pacific Capital, Chad also manages the 650 million dollar investment portfolio as the elected City Treasurer in his community. Chad is recognized as one of the top wealth management experts in the country and has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., NASDAQ, Yahoo Finance, U.S. News & World Report, InvestmentNews, Entrepreneur, and Financial Advisor Magazine. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Amber, and their five children.

The Entity Game by Jimmie D Robinson

https://www.amazon.com/Entity-Game-Jimmie-D-Robinson/dp/B0GYMMB7TJ

The Entity Game by Jimmie D. Robinson is a thrilling blend of science fiction, action, and historical warfare that spans centuries—and galaxies.

In the year 2129, an elite team of Space Defenders uncovers a mysterious metallic vault buried deep within a distant alien pyramid. But they are not alone. Rival alien forces wage a brutal battle to claim the powerful object, triggering a chain of events that unleashes twelve enigmatic energy beings—ancient entities with unimaginable intelligence and purpose.

These entities are not mere observers—they are players.

Diving into the minds and ancestral memories of humanity, they select warriors from different eras—Vikings, Zulus, ninjas, soldiers, and more—to represent them in a high-stakes, interdimensional “game.” Each faction brings its own brutal history, strategy, and instinct for survival into a contest where the rules are unclear and the consequences are deadly.

As past and future collide, and as humanity becomes an unwitting pawn in a cosmic competition, one question remains:

Who will control the game… and what happens to those who lose?

Packed with intense battles, imaginative world-building, and a unique fusion of history and sci-fi, The Entity Game delivers a gripping adventure that challenges the limits of time, power, and destiny.

The End of Us: A Story of Death, Deception and China’s Deadly Grip on US Healthcare by Tony Paquin

https://www.amazon.com/End-Us-Deception-Chinas-Healthcare/dp/B0CPWVGBCS

In 2020, Tony Paquin’s small medical supply company faced an impossible task—fulfilling a federal contract to procure one billion needles and syringes for America’s COVID-19 vaccination effort. What followed was a high-stakes battle against cutthroat factory owners, shady middlemen, relentless scammers, and even the Chinese Communist Party itself.

Through this ordeal, Paquin uncovered a dangerous truth: America’s dependence on China and foreign sources for life-saving drugs, medical supplies, and high-tech devices is a ticking time bomb. Nearly everything that keeps Americans alive is manufactured overseas—often under the control of a geopolitical rival.

The End of Us is more than a real-life thriller. It’s an urgent wake-up call about a critical national security threat—one that could be weaponized in a future conflict. With firsthand insights from inside the global supply chain, Paquin exposes the hidden dangers of America’s medical dependence and lays out what must be done to reclaim control before it’s too late.

About the author
Tony Paquin is an acclaimed author, serial entrepreneur, and authority in the healthcare industry, known for pioneering Retail Healthcare. With over thirty years of experience leading public and private companies to groundbreaking achievements, Tony’s work has consistently focused on the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business innovation.

His first book, “The Retail Healthcare Revolution,” established Tony as a forward-thinking voice in healthcare, proposing transformative business models that combine retail strategies with healthcare services. His insights into enhancing patient engagement and leveraging digital health technologies have influenced practitioners and policymakers alike.

Bliss in Triple Rhythm–A Toolbox for Poets: Nine Ways to Shape A Word Song: Shown in 300 Original Poems by Martin Bidney

https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Triple-Rhythm-Toolbox-Poets/dp/1987402561

Mmartinbidney.org

This book of word songs in unexpected melodic patterns will surprise you by its equally unusual liveliness. I’m so eager to begin singing for you that, as you noticed, I’ve already written a prefatory poem in one of the varied kinds of triple rhythm units I’ll be illustrating (la LA la; weak STRONG weak; one TWO three; x/x). The strangest thing I’ll be doing in my collection is to bring about a resurrection of ancient stanza patterns embodying the musical structures I love. The uncustomary triple-rhythm stanza forms richly displayed will acquire a real if unlikely novelty by presenting tools so extremely old.

About the author
Martin Bidney, Professor Emeritus at Binghamton University (NY), writes poetry books that are dialogues. In “Shakespair” he converses in Shakespearean sonnets with the 154 that the bisexual Bard himself wrote in the 1590s about his boyfriend and girlfriend. In “A Unifying Light” Martin converses with Qur’anic passages on the topic of Jews and Christians in the Qur’an and the Islamic virtues they embody. “East-West Poetry” shows Martin replying, in poems, to passages from both the Qur’an and Rumi. “Poems of Wine and Tavern Romance” offers 103 dialogues between Martin and Hafiz, the 14th century Persian pub poet he translates, a Muslim Sufi who was bisexual, like Shakespeare, and whom Germany’s greatest poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, called his “twin” brother! (Martin translates Hafiz from the same version Goethe used.) In fact, Martin has also translated Goethe’s own “West-East Divan” (divan means “collection”) and wrote conversational reply poems to all of Goethe’s 240 lyrics. Martin’s dialogue book with the greatest Polish poet, Adam Mickiewicz, contains, on facing pages, the sonnets he wrote in response to the “Crimean Sonnets” he translated from Polish. In “Like a Fine Rug of Erivan” he translates 39 Pushkin poems from Russian and recites them on a CD. His wide-ranging fascination with revelatory writing stems from “Patterns of Epiphany,” where Martin pioneered a method of analysis he has since applied to over 20 authors.

When Hope is your Only Option: One Man’s Brave Journey, Through Life’s Adversity by Jim Stavis

https://www.amazon.com/When-Hope-your-Only-Option/dp/1970608234

Whenhopeisyouronlyoption.com

This book is about overcoming all the odds. It is achievement paired with loss, and accomplishment paired with adversity. It is having faith that in all things, even the most challenging and heartbreaking, you can learn and gain something important. It begins with the hope and belief that you can get through anything, even if it’s your only option.

About the author
Jim Stavis was diagnosed with juvenile type I diabetes at age 17. He was told to expect a shortened lifespan with medical difficulties along the way. This medical diagnosis shaped his life in a way that could have led to depression and decay, but instead motivated Jim to rise above the adversity in spite of the dire forecast. It is the lessons learned and the persistent and positive attitude that served as the inspiration for Jim to write his first book aptly named, “When Hope is Your Only Option”. Jim is happy to share his stories so that the reader can learn and be better prepared for the adversity that they encounter in their life. Jim’s story though miraculous on many levels serves to inspire, to instruct and send a message that anything is possible, no matter the odds.

US 98: Destination Dade City by Paul Dean Moore

https://www.amazon.com/Us-98-Destination-Dade-City/dp/1961845075

US 98: DESTINATION DADE CITY is a story of the LeMay family placed in Witness Protection, due to actions of a crime syndicate. Keep your head down as the tale unfolds about hiding, dogs, murder, and Florida high school football. Victims, law enforcement, and villains each play a role moving towards the conclusion. Each trying to survive.

PAUL DEAN MOORE presents his third story based in small towns along Florida US 98. He brings to life characters inspired by his forty years of ministry dealing with people and families in crisis in varied situations. Moore took up fiction writing as a challenge from his youngest daughter, Adina. He dedicates this book to his six children and his in-laws, Clifford and Vernette Oberg, as well as Jerry and Barbara Miller. Moore lives with his wife, Sue, near US 98 in Lakeland, Florida.

WHEN THE RADIO WENT SILENT: A Life on the Road Between Duty and Home by JAMES S. Wynecoop

https://www.amazon.com/WHEN-RADIO-WENT-SILENT-Between/dp/1291853561

When the radio went silent, the job doesn’t become quieter. It becomes personal. Every badge covers a human heart that holds memories no one dise can see. Calls that end in nightmares Faces of victims that haunt your sleep, Critical decisions that weigh on your conscience long after your shift is over. In small towns, those victims could be your neighbors. Your friends. Family. And knowing that fact never really gets oasion. When the Radio went Silent is not about heroism. It is about survival, Surviving the weight of life and death decisions that you carry home with you each day. Learning to embrace silence as both a blessing and a punishment. Realizing the invisible price of public service on cops, their families, and their communities. And finding quiet desperation in the momarits when you need help the most. In raw, compassionate, and hard-learned detail, When the Radio went Silent tells you what it’s really like to wear the badge. Not only for police and first responders, but for anyone who’s ever shouldered great responsibility. buried a heavy secret, or struggled to find purpose after everything went quiet. Because when the radio went silent, your job is often just beginning.

About the author
Biography — James S. Wynecoop

James S. Wynecoop began his public safety career in 1975 at the age of nineteen, becoming one of the youngest Tribal Police Officers on the Spokane Reservation. Those early years laid the foundation for a lifetime of service rooted in community, responsibility, and cultural heritage.

In 1985, Wynecoop traveled north to Alaska’s North Slope, where he served as a Security Officer, Firefighter, and EMT in one of the most remote environments in the United States. Building on his experience, he founded Argus Security, a company that grew rapidly under his leadership—employing more than 500 security officers before being acquired in 1989.

Returning to law enforcement in 1990, Wynecoop accepted the position of Police Captain for the community of La Push, Washington. He later continued his federal service as a Police Officer with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, serving the North Idaho District and the Nez Perce Reservation until the position was eliminated by a reduction in force.

In 1999, Wynecoop joined the Kalispel Tribe of Indians to establish security operations for the Tribe’s new casino. His leadership and vision propelled him into broader responsibility, and he was soon promoted to Executive Director of Public Safety. In this role, he oversaw the Police Department, Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Services, helping guide the growth of the Tribal community’s modern public safety system.

After more than four decades in policing, security, fire, and emergency services, James S. Wynecoop retired in 2022—leaving behind a legacy of leadership, service, and commitment to Tribal communities across the Northwest and Alaska.

Master Your Finances: Amber Duncan’s Debt-Free Strategies Unveiled

Reducemydebts.com

About the Guest(s):
Amber Duncan is the founder of Life After Debt, a company dedicated to helping individuals manage their debt and improve their financial situations. Following personal and professional hardship during the 2008 housing collapse, where both her and her husband, then mortgage brokers, declared bankruptcy, Amber was inspired to create solutions for those affected by unexpected financial crises. As “The Debt Coach,” she is recognized for her empathetic approach and educates consumers on navigating debt through negotiation and leveraging their rights. Her mission is to reduce financial stress and build debt-free paths for her clients.

Episode Summary:
In this insightful episode of The Chris Voss Show, host Chris Voss welcomes Amber Duncan, founder of Life After Debt, for a conversation centered on debt management and financial empowerment. Having experienced financial collapse firsthand during the 2008 housing crisis, Amber offers a unique perspective and practical advice on managing debt and improving financial health. She emphasizes the importance of challenging financial norms, understanding the nuances of debt, and transforming one’s financial outlook through education and strategic actions.

Amber Duncan discusses the frequent misconceptions surrounding taxes and debt, underscoring the notion that not every debt is inherently negative. During the episode, Amber also delves into how debt can sometimes be strategic, such as using low-interest loans for investments. She sheds light on prevalent issues like zombie debt and the significance of consumers knowing their rights. Through her work at Life After Debt, Amber encourages individuals facing financial challenges to seek help without shame or guilt, providing them with clarity and effective debt settlement strategies.

Key Takeaways:
* Financial challenges are often a result of unforeseen circumstances rather than poor financial management. Facing these challenges head-on with knowledge and support is crucial.
* Not all debt is bad; understanding when and how to use debt strategically can lead to financial growth.
* Consumers should always validate their debts and understand their rights, particularly with issues like zombie debt and debt collection harassment.
* Filing taxes is legally required, but immediate payment is not; people should manage their tax obligations strategically.
* A clarity call with a financial expert can significantly change one’s financial perspective and lead to effective debt resolutions.

Notable Quotes:
1. “Not every debt is bad debt. It’s about knowing what to do with it, and when to have it, and when to get rid of it.” – Amber Duncan
2. “Everything in life is negotiable. And if that is the one message I want people to hear today, it’s that.” – Amber Duncan
3. “We have rights as consumers, and so if we activate those rights, and actually question and require things that we’re allowed to require, then at that point, guess what? We’re in the driver’s seat.” – Amber Duncan
4. “It’s that moment when I recognized that we have a universal problem right now, that we’re not extending help to those who are in situations they didn’t ask for.” – Amber Duncan
5. “People need to be educated that they can ask for things without feeling guilty. And they can fight things, and they can negotiate things.” – Amber Duncan