• The Opposite of Spoiled

  • Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money
  • By: Ron Lieber
  • Narrated by: Ron Lieber
  • Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (905 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Opposite of Spoiled  By  cover art

The Opposite of Spoiled

By: Ron Lieber
Narrated by: Ron Lieber
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.79

Buy for $19.79

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

We may not realize it, but children are hyperaware of money. They have scores of questions about its nuances that parents often don't answer, or know how to answer well. But for Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist and father, good parenting means talking about money with our kids much more often. When parents avoid these conversations, they lose a tremendous opportunity—not just to model important financial behaviors, but also to imprint lessons about what their family cares about most.

Written in a warm, accessible voice, grounded in real-world stories from families with a range of incomes, The Opposite of Spoiled is a practical guidebook for parents that is rooted in timeless values. Lieber covers all the basics: the best ways to handle the tooth fairy, allowance, chores, charity, savings, birthdays, holidays, cell phones, splurging, clothing, cars, part-time jobs, and college tuition. But he also identifies a set of traits and virtues—like modesty, patience, generosity, and perspective—that parents hope their young adults will carry with them out into the world.

In The Opposite of Spoiled, Ron Lieber delivers a taboo-shattering manifesto that will help every parent embrace the connection between money and values to help them raise young adults who are grounded, unmaterialistic, and financially wise beyond their years.

©2015 Ron Lieber (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

More from the same

What listeners say about The Opposite of Spoiled

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    502
  • 4 Stars
    258
  • 3 Stars
    113
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    429
  • 4 Stars
    227
  • 3 Stars
    86
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    404
  • 4 Stars
    216
  • 3 Stars
    98
  • 2 Stars
    30
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's ok

I read other people's review about him talking too much about giving. I'm ok with it but I was expecting more about how to teach kids saving and spending.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good listen but not too much in depth information

The narrator was the author and the reading was mostly fluid. The beginning and middle of the book seemed on target and informative but strayed at the end with too much on giving and charities. For me, I think the book was worth the audible credit but I would not pay cash for it.

This book does provide many suggestions for answering common kids question concerning money so it accomplishes what it says it does.

I will probably give this a second listen to remember the responses better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A good start - if your income level is relevant

If you could sum up The Opposite of Spoiled in three words, what would they be?

Thoughtful, reasoned, limited.

What about Ron Lieber’s performance did you like?

His voice was really sincere, and even though he was talking about things like, well, being rich, his frankness did not feel put on. Additionally, his delivery was so clear that I listened mostly at 1.5 speed, but could go up to 2x without losing content.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was a relief to hear someone tapping the brakes on the consumption marathon.

Any additional comments?

This book has great advice for all parents, but it may feel ridiculous if you're not a high income earner. People who have difficulty making ends meet are going to have a different set of priorities when it comes to teaching their kids about money, and this book may not be the best source for practical ideas.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Important Subject: Best if your kids are under 10

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. Great ideas on how to approach the touchiest subject for families.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

More "discussion" ideas for talking to the kids, and fewer envy stories. Also, advice on talking to teenagers who roll their eyes.

What does Ron Lieber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He wrote the book. So he's met almost all of the families that he's written about.

Did The Opposite of Spoiled inspire you to do anything?

Talk to my slightly older teenagers about money.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Annoying Voice,Constantly Re-stating--Get to Point

What disappointed you about The Opposite of Spoiled?

I tried to listen to this several times but it is just too annoying. The audio voice is tiresome. He keeps going on-and-on about simple points--get to the meat already!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

NYC POV

Most of the time when the author is the narrator I don't enjoy it unless the author is a character. Ron Lieber is a writer for the New York Times and I don't think I've read his column before and I don't see myself reading it in the future.
There is very little wrong with the book but I didn't enjoy it but luckily it was short enough that I was able to plow through it in two short bursts.
The point of view, and this is probably why I didn't enjoy the book, was it had a conversational tone of a white agnostic upper middle class Mahattanite New Yorker. I've listened to other audiobooks by journalists about children and though they were also upper middle class and some agnostic-maybe, I didn't find them too alien.
I guess it would have helped to have been more familiar with Lieber's articles before getting the book to get the tone, as some journalists' books are just an extended long playing version of their articles.
I didn't hate it. I just didn't like it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Eye opening and well written!

As a parent and step parent to 5 kids, this book reaffirmed how I feel kids should be raised with regard to money. We are in the adult-making business and this is an excellent guide to doing it right!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Ok book

This book was a collection of stories and suggestions for how to interact with kids of all ages about money. The book lacked real punch, but was overall interesting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Edifying

Informative read. Great ideas, good suggestions, inspiring stories. I struggled at times to follow because of the audio format. Thanks.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good habits and good parenting

Even more thorough, researched and real world in easy to understand teaching than I had hoped. Thanks for the tools!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful