Ron Lieber Books

Before we can talk about the opposite of spoiled, we need to understand what being spoiled actually means. Too often, we throw that word around casually without pausing to ask: spoiled by what, and in what way? A spoiled child isn’t simply one who has too many toys or vacations or privileges. The re...

From The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money

Money flows through every corner of family life—quietly determining choices, priorities, and opportunities. How parents think and talk about money teaches far more than any lecture can. Our own attitudes toward saving, spending, and giving set the emotional tone that children absorb. If we agonize o...

From The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money

To make sense of what college truly costs, we have to start by understanding how prices are set. The sticker price on a college website is not the real price that most families pay. Colleges engage in a form of price discrimination—charging different amounts to different people based on their financ...

From The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make

Money alone doesn’t decide where a student goes to college. I have seen families who can afford almost anything tie themselves in knots over fear, guilt, and pride. Prestige exerts a gravitational pull; it feels safer to choose a fancy name because the world affirms that choice. But underneath, many...

From The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make