Wondering how a successful financial industry executive morfed himself into The Allowance Wizard?
Wonder no more! David McCurrach has always been known as an innovator, a communicator and a man on a mission. As a parent of
five children, he has struggled with the same financial challenges that all parents face.
Fifteen years ago, he took it upon himself to research the field of children's financial education. He read all the
available material, talked with many of the experts in the field and applied what he learned to his own kids. The results
were incredible. It totally changed the financial dynamics of the parent / child relationship.
In the early '90s, he developed a workbook to help his children and others learn to manage their money. He began working with
neighborhood families and friends, who quickly achieved the same spectacular results.
Seeing the Internet as an opportunity to help even more parents, he created the
Kids' Money website in 1995. It was one of the first sites of its kind. He
characterized it as "An interactive resource for parents interested in helping their children develop successful money
management habits and financial responsibility."
In early 1996, Prodigy selected Kids' Money as one of its Ten Best member-created websites. Throughout that year, David hosted
a number of Prodigy chats on the subject of financial parenting. Over the next several years, the media picked up
on the success of his program and has featured him in hundreds of articles and news stories. To this day, Kids' Money is
ranked Number One on Google.
David went on to debut Kids' Money Store on the Internet in 1997. Three years
later, he founded Kids' Money Press and authored his first two books:
- Kids' Allowances
How Much, How Often & How Come - A Guide For Parents
- The Allowance Workbook
For Kids and Their Parents
Those books were enthusiastically received by parents all across the country. The first printings totally sold out. Rather than
reprint, David decided to refocus on his message of using an allowance to develop successful financial habits in a new book:
- Allowance Magic
Turn Your Kids Into Money Wizards
In 2004, David developed this website as a source of additional guidance and as a way to provide convenient
online tools. He sees it as another "interactive resource" for parents and kids and as the next
logical step in his effort to help both groups embrace and achieve the goals of the Allowance
Magic program. Later this year, David plans to take his message on the road with a series of Allowance Magic workshops.
Vital information:
- Born: December 21, 1947 in Flushing (Queens), New York
- Raised: New York city and Wilmette, Illinois
- Graduated: New Trier Township High School, Winnetka, Illinois; Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (BA in Economics)
- Military Service: United States Air Force, Pilot, decorated combat veteran
- Business Career: Innovator of financial services and products in the Banking and Credit Union industries
- Family: Five children, five grandchildren
- Passion: Financial education
Check back here for frequent updates on this developing story.
