Everyone loves stories. Fables, in particular, are stories that evoke memories and touch our hearts. What better way to plan every day goals to achieve a better life than making it an enjoyable experience? These fables are short enough to read over a cup of coffee or for a quick bedtime story. Storytelling is an age-old method of transferring wisdom from one person to another in a relatable way, one that allows the listener or reader to arrive at conclusions that fit their own life. And they're fun. There is absolutely no reason why planning for your future-and implementing that plan-should not be as fun as reading a story and learning from its moral. Share your life, it is your story, live it to the fullest! Christine Cargnoni and Renee Porter-Medley's Financial Fables(TM) return to the stories of childhood-but with a spin that re-enforces the lessons we learned long ago, but with a grown-up twist. The fables include "Lezza's Beauty and Her Beast: Understanding Your Financial Temperament Will Help You Transform," to "Jack and the Beans: Invest With Others, and for Yourself, With a Plan," and "Sleeping Beauty Wakes Up: Life Happens; Don't Give Up When Your Plan Does Not Work Out. Get Help." In each story the authors encourage you to do the things you need to do to succeed. Whether you read them all at once or just one story per day, per week, or per month, you can take control of your finances regardless of how limited your time is. Cargnoni and Porter-Medley present easy to follow tips and resources to help you create your own happily ever after. Unlike financial books that often become too technical too fast, Financial Fables: Seven Tales to Transform Your Financial Life and More delivers a simple moral: knowledge applied transforms. Once upon a dime, in a financial tale from not so long ago... Feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders after yet another exhausting twelve-hour shift at her job, Diva dragged herself home. Looking down the dimly lit hall to her small apartment, she discovered a scrawny cat spread out flat on her door mat. The dirty, dark cat, with little white feet, had definitely been challenged in more than one fight and small tears in his ears indicated that he'd not come out on the better end of them. Diva looked down at the pitiful creature. Seriously cat! She thought, I am really too tired to deal with you. She was already stressed, knowing her parents apparently did not approve of her independent life as a single, thirty five-year-old woman. They refused to offer her financial help, yet they extended funds to her eldest brother, who was married with an adoring family, and to her younger sister, who still lived with them. Not that Diva begrudged her siblings; she didn't, but being judged for who she was- or who she was trying to be-bothered her a lot. In fact, the beaten-down cat on her doorstep looked like how she felt. "Little cat, you and I are two of a kind," she told the kitty and no one else. Since Diva's good heart refused to let her turn away the white-footed black feline, she reluctantly opened the door. The cat sprang to life, mustering just enough energy to scamper inside and once again lie down. Diva named him Bootsy from Puss in Boots, because he reminded her of the fairy tale. "Maybe you can help me break this continuous spell of bad luck, little Bootsy," she said. That night, as Diva checked her e-mail, Bootsy settled right between the keyboard and the monitor. "OK! Another critic," Diva said. But Bootsy just looked at her through the slits of his eyes, turned his head, and fell back asleep. That is just the beginning of the story-and wouldn't you like to know the rest? Well, wouldn't you? Of course you would! Not only would you like to know what happens next, you especially want to know how this story will relate to your finances. The truth is stories capture our attention in ways that no other form of communication can.
About the Author: Both Christine and Renee share a zeal for helping people make confident life decisions based on their financial position. Both have earned the Certified Financial Planner professional designation and have collectively, over fifty years of experience. Renee and Christine co-founded the not-for-profit Savvy Women Advice Network Inc. (SWAN) and began facilitating discussions on a wide range of financial topics. In 2009 they began telling financial fables in an effort to keep these discussions fresh and fun. In 2010, they recognized they could reach so many more people if they wrote a book. So they began collecting and refining their favorite fables and tips. Finally, in 2012 Financial Fables: Seven Tales To Transform Your Financial Life and More was published. Christine is a mother to three sons, a businesswoman, educator, speaker, author and a life coach to a wide circle of friends. She has a passion for the emerging fields of financial psychology, economic behavior and the holistic study of money and self. Christine earned her BA from the University of Pittsburgh and her MBA from Nova Southeastern University. Renee is a keen observer of life and financial lessons learned. She is a wife, mother and sister to seven siblings. With three daughters, a grandson and twenty four nieces and nephews, she is especially committed to helping the next generation transform their financial lives and more. Renee earned her BA from the University of Michigan.