Money for Beginners

Matthew Oldham (Author) Matthew writes books for Usborne about all sorts of subjects, including history, science and Planet Earth. Before he did this, he studied English at university and worked for the BBC where he made funny radio programmes. He lives in London and spends his weekends visiting its many museums and exploring different parts of the city. Eddie Reynolds (Author) Eddie joined Usborne Publishing in 2017. Before that, he studied German and French at Cambridge University, then moved to Berlin after a short while teaching Ancient History at a school in Guangzhou, China. Now back in the UK, he writes books about all sorts, including computers, maps and engineering.

What is money?
How money moves
Money around the world
Money customs

Chapter 1: How money works
What makes cash, banknotes and anything else count as money? And why do we all trust it?

Chapter 2: The story of money
Money has existed long before the first coins were made, and over the centuries it has taken on many unusual forms. How did it all come about?

Chapter 3: In the bank
Almost every adult has a bank account - but why? What do banks actually do? Are there any alternatives? And was it really the banks' fault that the world suffered a financial meltdown in 2008?

Chapter 4: Earning and borrowing
Don't have any money? No problem! Almost anyone can get hold of some money, by working for it, or borrowing from someone who has it.

Chapter 5: Spending, growing and giving
Some people spend everything they have very quickly. Others prefer to save up. If you have some money to spare, you should give it away to charity - shouldn't you?

Chapter 6: Governments and money
Taxes, deficits, inflation, deflation, quantitative easing - what does it all mean, and who's in charge?

Chapter 7: Big questions
How to be a billionaire, how to buy happiness, how to make the world a fairer place - and other important questions that nobody knows the answers to - yet.

What next?

Glossary
Index
Acknowledgements