I’m thrilled to be working with Minyanville. I really believe in what you are doing…especially with kids. My passion, which I know that you all share, is to empower kids and their families to take charge of their financial lives.

As parents, we know that our kids are born with the “I want, I want syndrome” patterned into their brains. All our kids seem to know about money is how to spend it. But, to be fair to our little ones, that’s all they ever see us do with money. They don’t see us save money, or pay bills, or write a check to charity. So, what are they to think? Indeed, “Money does grow on trees!”

Let me explain how I got into the field of kids and money.

I started my career at The Chase Manhattan Bank… back in the Dark Ages of 1972. Chase decided to train and hire a few women to become executives.

I enjoyed a 13-year career at Chase rising through the ranks and left in 1985 to become the president of The First Women’s Bank, on Park Avenue in NYC. I watched women handling their money … and it was not okay … they were incredibly uncomfortable. It made no sense to me. These women were accomplished professionals, handling every aspect of their lives; work, family, kids, in-laws … but when it came to money issues, they were disempowered. Why? I did some research, and it was no surprise. They were never taught anything as children.

At the same time, my kids were really young and I was watching them ask for things with no understanding of the difference between, “want” and “need”. So, I looked for some books for my kids to teach them how to handle the money, and there were none.

At that point I knew that this had to become my life’s work: To empower children, women and their families to take charge of their lives.

The next step was to find a publisher to allow me to write the first real “kids and money” book. But the publishers felt that, since there were no books on the topic, it was not of interest. So, to generate interest, I opened up The First Children’s Bank at FAO Schwarz. Simultaneously, I opened an Institute for Entrepreneurship in Harlem, to give at-risk youth choices about their futures, as well.

The First Children’s Bank was a roaring success…I quit being a bank prez. in 1989, and became an entrepreneur, forming my own company, Children’s Financial Network, to pursue my dream. My book, meanwhile, hit #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List after Oprah invited me on her show.

Fast forward to today: I am not a lone wolf in the Kids and Money space anymore. The topic is real and important and I am lucky enough to still be in the field with 16 books and curriculum for all ages. My latest project, Life, Inc.: The Ultimate Career Guide for Young People, was sponsored by Deloitte Foundation and will reach about 2 million kids by 2009.

I still get to speak to a lot of people through the media… and am excited to reach all of you.

This brings me to Minyanville.

When I met Todd Harrison years ago ... and it was years ago ... I remember the first time we spoke. We were finishing each other’s sentences. That type of a “connect” is hard to find. He is real and is committed … or is it that he “really needs to be committed?”

How lucky I am to work with such great people. They are smart, involved and “get it.” I’m also lucky to have two great kids, a super son-in-law, and I just became a Grandma. I now understand the meaning of “life.”

Neale Godfrey will address a new topic on Kids and Money every week in Minyanville.

Help your kids learn about money while they play in MinyanLand.com.