The Garden of Growth — A Children's Financial Plan

The Garden of Growth — A Children's Financial Planner for the Whole Journey of Life

By Shana Kym Timmer

Twelve chapters. Twelve decades. One seed planted early.

Most children are never taught how money actually works — so they grow up, earn it, spend it, and wonder where it went. The Garden of Growth changes that story, starting at the kitchen table.

On her seventh birthday, Maya receives fifty dollars of birthday money — and instead of spending it by Friday, her Grandma Rose teaches her to plant it. This beautifully illustrated planner follows Maya's garden from her first custodial account all the way to her hundredth birthday party, where four generations stand up to tell what one planted seed became.

Inside, your family gets:

• A story to read together — investments and the "perfect financial plan," told through Maya and Grandma Rose

• 12 chapters, one for every decade of life (ages 0–120), so the planner grows up with your child

• The Perfect Plan for each decade — work, saving, index funds and ETFs explained simply, employer matches, custodial accounts funded with birthday money, and how money starts working FOR you as you age

• Voices from the Garden — true-to-life stories from seniors who planted early and aged well, and seniors who waited and aged with regrets, so your child learns from both sides

• Healthy Roots — health choices and habits for every decade, because the best plan needs a healthy person to enjoy it

• The Bridge — the book's money system on one map: working FOR capital vs. working YOUR capital, and the 14 buckets in crossing order (daily expenses, needs, lifestyle, emergencies, investments, indexes, ETFs, ventures, IPOs, dividends, leveraging capital, capital reserves, taxes, and a debt service account)

• Fill-in planner pages in every chapter — your child's own goals, numbers, and habits, in their own handwriting

The numbers inside are real teaching math: $25 a month planted from birth becomes about $12,002 by age 18 at a hypothetical 8% growth — and the book shows your child exactly why getting in early beats getting in big.

This is the companion every parent wishes someone had handed them 30 years ago. Plant the first seed today.

Education note: The Garden of Growth teaches financial principles and habits for families. Growth figures are hypothetical illustrations, not promises or predictions. It is education, not financial advice.

Details:

- 50-page illustrated PDF (instant download)

- Opening story + 12 decade chapters (ages 0–120)

- 16 original watercolor illustrations

- Fill-in planner pages in every chapter

- Custodial account (UTMA) guidance for grown-ups, incl. 2026 kiddie-tax basics