Author Rachel Richards
LOCAL AUTHOR PENS SECOND BOOK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
Most high school seniors spend their time worrying about who their college roommate will be, and whether they’ll be able to stomach dorm food. Not Rachel Richards. She lost sleep over the possibility of incurring student debt. “I’d read a ton about finances and was worried about the consequence of taking on a tremendous amount of debt at a young age,” says Richards, who knew she’d have to pay for college on her own. Richards majored in financial economics and loved it. When she was nearing graduation, she pursued a career in financial advising as it seemed like the perfect fit.
“I’d already been helping my family and friends, who were always asking me for financial advice,” Richards says. Even though she was happy to help, she wondered why friends and family didn’t consult all of the free resources available in books and on websites. Then she realized that many of those resources on financial education were dry and sometimes difficult to understand. While working as a senior financial analyst at a global manufacturing corporation, she found herself putting pen to paper to write a book about money management that was sarcastic, sassy and simple to understand. Before long, she completed “Money Honey: A Simple 7-Step Guide for Getting Your Financial $hit Together.” Published in September of 2017, the book sold well. 28 / NOVEMBER 2020
“I accomplished what I set out to do, which was to make a funny book about money management that young females, professionals and millennials could understand and appreciate,” Richards says.
