For Educators & Group Leaders
For Educators & Group Leaders
Financial Wisdom materials are designed to be flexible. You can use them in a structured classroom course, an independent reading group, a one-on-one counseling session, or a community book club. The approach adapts to your setting, your schedule, and your participants.
A structured course built around The Richest Man in New Babylon and the Workbook. How long it runs, how often it meets, how the sessions are organized — that’s up to you and your participants. You know your setting and your schedule better than we do. We’ll provide the materials, suggestions for structuring the course, and feedback as you go. The key elements: a first meeting where you distribute materials and set expectations, sessions working through The Rules, and a final meeting to wrap up and celebrate what participants have accomplished.
The No B.S.* Rules for Taking Care of Your Money can stand alone or serve as a follow-up program for work with The Richest Man. It reinforces The Rules with more detailed, practical guidance on topics like credit reports, debt collection, and investing. Ideal for participants who have completed the first workshop or for people closer to release or already in reentry. Same principle — you structure it to fit your situation.
For settings where formal classes aren’t possible, participants can organize a self-directed reading group. We have guidelines for making this work effectively.
Reentry counselors and advisors can use either book as a framework for individual conversations about money management. The book gives counselor and client a common language and a shared set of principles.
Church groups, civic organizations, adult education programs. The same materials and the same approach, adapted for any audience.
Someone can learn a lot simply by reading The Richest Man in New Babylon. The story is designed to be engaging on its own, and readers come away with a solid understanding of The Rules. The No B.S.* Rules offer what is a more traditional self-help guide to managing money. Maybe that's the right book for your students. Not everyone will be in a position to take a class or join a grouP. That’s fine. The books stands on their own.
Reading the book is valuable. Discussing it with other people is better.
We’ve found that when participants talk through the material — challenge it, apply it to their own situations, argue about it, persuade each other — the ideas stick. A person might read about Rule No. 2 and nod along. But when they hear someone else in the room describe how they actually spend less and what changed for them, it lands differently. That’s when the learning moves from information to motivation.
This is why Financial Wisdom is built around facilitated discussion rather than lectures. We don’t tell people what to do. We create a space where they can figure it out for themselves — and where the group helps make it real.
You don’t need to be a financial expert. The materials do the heavy lifting. What you bring is the ability to facilitate a good conversation. You’ll design a structure that works for your group — we’ll give you suggestions and support, but you’re building this for your people in your setting.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Copies of the book — for each participant. We recommend physical copies that belong to the students. Encourage them to underline, make notes, and own the material. A free PDF is available for organizations with limited budgets, and a reduced-price Classroom Edition is available for purchase.
The Workbook — one per participant. Contains quizzes, worksheets, scenario exercises, and self-assessments keyed to each of the ten Rules.
The Leader’s Guide — your roadmap. Detailed facilitator guidance for every page of the Workbook, including quiz answers, discussion strategies, and tips for keeping participants engaged.
[Download all materials free → /free-downloads]
Our long-term goal is to train motivated participants to become facilitators themselves. People who have worked through the program and believe in it can bring Financial Wisdom back to their communities. The materials don’t require specialist knowledge — what they require is someone who listens well, keeps the conversation moving, and cares about the people in the room.
If you’re interested in helping develop the Leadership Academy, we want to hear from you.
All downloadable at no cost:
The Leader’s Guide
Discussion Guidelines
Independent Study Group Guide
Workshop Promotional Flyer
Book Group Evaluation Form
Pilot Class Proposal Template
NOTE: Each item above will be a download link
Our long-range goal is to make Financial Wisdom materials available to educators at no charge. Nobody should be unable to use them because there’s no money in the budget.
Physical books and workbooks are available at reduced educational pricing. For a full workshop, total materials cost should be modest. The Financial Wisdom Foundation will assist in finding support if your organization has budget constraints.