Intermediate to advanced discussion questions for each book. These can become writing prompts for essays or discussion groups.
Book 1: Snappy and the Nuts
1. Where does our family have our bank account?
2. Do we deal with our bank in person, or by mail, phone, or by computer?
3. What kind of accounts do we have at our bank?
4. How do we get our money out of the bank when we want to?
5. What kind of records do we keep about our account(s)?
Book 2: Snappy Needs a Nest
1. How much does your family save for various future needs, such as a new car, or a new home or even retirement?
2. Where does your family save money for the future, such as a bank, or in stocks, or in bonds?
3. What is a reasonable price to earnings ratio for stocks in good companies?
4. How much dividends do good companies produce?
5. Why do some locations tax income at different rates than others? Do you live in a "high tax" state or a "low tax" location?
Book 3: Plays the Stock Market
1. Why would a potential stock buyer want to see the stock's history of sales, earnings growth, dividends, and valuation metrics like price to earnings ratio, price to sales ratio, etc?
2. Why would smoothly increasing sales and earnings be better than more volatile metrics?
3. What is the average price to earnings metric for the US stock market in the last five years?
4. What is the market price to earnings valuation metric today?
5. The stock price to earnings valuation metric is set by inflation, earnings growth, and market sentiment. Why?
Book 4: Snappy Loses
1. Why are rapid changes in the price of a stock, called "volatility", worrying to an investor?
2. Who keeps the records of this rapid trading so that transaction costs and taxes can be paid?
3. Is "day trading" useful when the market is going up? Going down?
4. Is there a way "day trading" taxes can be minimized?
5. Is it better for an investor to "day trade" using the internet or a "full service broker"?
Book 5: Snappy Buys a Bond
1. What is meant by "default"?
2. What are the differences among corporate bonds, Treasury bonds, zero coupon bonds, and municipal bonds, considering safety, return, and taxation?
3. What is the difference between bond maturity date and bond duration?
4. Why does my bond decrease in price when government interest rates are raised?
5. What is the difference between long bonds and short bonds and which is preferred when interest rates are being raised - and why?
Book 6: Snappy and the Mutual Fund
1. Why are mutual funds a good place for a new investor to start investing?
2. Where can your family buy a mutual fund?
3. Does it take a lot of money to begin buying shares in a mutual fund?
4. Which mutual fund company charges the lowest fees or transaction costs?
5. Are sector funds safer than full market funds?
Book 7: Snappy and Inflation
1. Does inflation increase or decrease the value of bonds that your family own?
2. What does the government do to quell inflation?
3. Does inflation make your family's home mortgage payment more or less valuable?
4. If your allowance goes up during inflation, but you have to spend the extra income to buy the same toy, are you better off with inflation, even though you have more money to spend?
5. Does the price-to-earnings ratio of most stocks go up or down when inflation goes up?
Book 8: Snappy's Business
1. What makes the new collection system better than the old system?
2. What inputs are required for a new business?
3. What is the source of most capital for a business investment?
4. What are some of the overhead expenses of a new business?
5. What can a business operator do about competition?
Book 9: Snappy Buys His Nest
1. Does your family rent or do you own your own home?
2. Does your family owe money (a mortgage) on your home?
3. Does your family pay extra for lights, gas, and water or are those costs part of a monthly payment?
4. Have you ever had an insurance claim on your property?
5. Is your family looking for a larger (or smaller) home for the future?
Book 10: Snappy Plans for the Future
1. About how much of a family's money should be kept in the bank for near-term use such as emergencies?
2. How can your family use the "duration" of various investment types to allocate money to cash, stocks, bonds, etc.?
3. How much, if any, of your family's retirement money will be in a fixed pension vs. from Social Security?
4. How can Snappy use the Sharpe Ratio to evaluate the prices of different mutual funds?
5. Is your family using a professional investment advisor? Why? or Why not?