In the Author Spotlight,
Jeannine Fox, author of
Feeding Penny Pig

 

Jeannine Fox, or "Mimi" to her granddaughters, is devoted to helping children learn the basics of financial responsibility and saving money. In her new children's book, Feeding Penny Pig, Jeannine spreads the wisdom she has shared with her granddaughters with children everywhere.

Both of Jeannine's granddaughters, Laney, 6, and Lexi, 3, have their very own piggy banks named "Penny Pig" that they feed with coins every day. When Penny is feeling fat, the girls go to Mimi's house for a coin rolling party. They they deposit all of the money except for 10 percent, which they donate to charity.

In Feeding Penny Pig, Jeannine makes saving money fun by sharing the story of Laney, a little girl who falls in love with a piggy bank that her grandmother gave her. Each day, Penny Pig gets hungry for coins and Laney must earn money to feed her. From their friendship, Laney learns the value of saving money, responsibility, and earning her allowance.

While Jeannine has had many different jobs in her life, her favorite of all time is her job as Mimi. "Parents have so many responsibilities these days. Many have jobs outside the home and still have the responsibilities for raising their children, shopping, housekeeping, taking care of the pets, and driving kids to dance lessons and soccer practice," Jeannine says "It’s no wonder that there is less time for parents to sit down with children today than in the past. Now, more than ever, grandparents are needed to care for and instill important values to grandchildren."

While being a grandmother is Jeannine's favorite job, it's not her only one. She has been a practicing financial planning for nearly 29 years, serving clients all over the world. She is also the branch manager of The Planning Team, as well as a branch manager and investment advisor representative of NEXT Financial Group, Inc. In addition, she has a Group I insurance license with the state of Texas.

Jeannine currently lives in Magnolia, Texas, where she spends her time away from the office playing with Laney and Lexi. She is a proponent of hands-on grandparenting and hopes to get others more involved with their grandkids as well. "I feel grandparents are America's untapped secret resource," says Jeannine. "We're retiring, we adore our grandchildren and we want them to find success and happiness in life - starting with money management."