Category: Education

Were things better in the ‘good old days’?

Language helps us to reflect upon the past. And ever since we’ve been able to do so, it seems, we’ve been comparing it unfavorably to the present.

In 500 BC, the Ancient Greeks lamented the passing of the supposed ‘Golden Age’. Back then, ‘men lived like Gods’. And every generation since the year dot seems to think that the next generation is screwing everything up. But should we be taking a conservative view and looking towards the past? Or taking a progressive view and looking toward the future?

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Are school uniforms beneficial?

One of the great advantages trumpeted about the school uniform is its capacity to make everyone equal. If all children have to wear the same uniform, the theory goes, discrimination based on socio-economic background, as signaled through, for instance, their brand of shoes or jacket, will disappear.

But is this really the case? Can uniforms actually exacerbate discrimination?

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Do you have too much American influence?

In one of the older posts here on Enrichmentality, we talked about financial resources being a bit like milk – in some cases, the older they get, the more off they are. So the time of production of any advice is important. Especially in the case of highly-specialised, subject to frequent change information. Like interest rates or tax rates or first home owner’s grants. But how much should we worry about where our advice comes from? Is there such a thing as too much American influence?

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Which debt should I pay off first?

The financial sphere seems all abuzz with The Barefoot Investor‘s book. Multiple friends have asked me about it. It’s the number one non-fiction book at both my local library and bookstore. But as happy as I am to see a finance book so popular, is it really ‘the only money guide you’ll ever need’? Will following Scott Pape’s ‘domino’ advice (or Dave Ramsey’s ‘snowball’ advice for that matter) really help you get out of debt for example? The best way to pay off your debt is likely to be something else entirely…

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What’s the best investment?

Over the weekend, having recently returned from our overseas odyssey, I was thrilled to attend the opening of Hope: From Robe to Riches. The brainchild of my dear friend, and one of Enrichmentality’s first believers, Dr. Joanne Sullivan, the exhibition is currently on display at Gum San (金山) in Ararat. And it’s an exhibition that got me thinking about the concept of investment.

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How can I find good financial advice?

In the last post, we looked at why it’s so important to read widely in order to avoid bad financial advice. In this post, we’ll take a look a some of the specific ways you can evaluate sources to find good financial advice.

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How can I avoid bad financial advice?

My original title for this post was ‘How can I find good financial advice?’

But when I read through the draft, I realised I’d have to save that for a follow-up. Most of what I had written focused on avoiding bad financial advice.

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What is the power of money metaphors?

From ‘time is money‘ to ‘tightening our belts‘, we’ve examined quite a few money related expressions and metaphors on Enrichmentality. But does such language have any real power over how we think – and act?

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What are toys teaching kids about money?

Last year, I took some photos of my mother’s toy cash register for a blog post. Around the same time, a couple of our friends came to stay with their young daughter. She had a toy cash register of her own (which I also photographed). The two toys looked pretty similar (the newer version had an electronic display, and came with a paper ‘credit card’).

The role of artefacts like games in language development has long been an interest of mine. When I saw these two cash registers, I became interested in the role of toys and games in financial literacy.

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Where should kids learn about money?

Like language, money is a symbolic system we use to communicate with each other. Kids’ exposure and sensitivity to language begins early, and the same may be true of money. The majority of opinions agree financial education ‘begins with children – the younger the better’. In the last post, we looked at what an important role financial education and family background has in influencing outcomes in life.

But where do – and where should – kids learn about money?

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