Kid Compass is a newly launched web app for kids (by Jeremy Hodge) that makes chores, allowance, saving, and investing easy to learn and fun to discuss. It’s already sparking powerful, practical money conversations at home.

Kid Compass: Our Family’s New Adventure in Money (and Life) Skills

This week marks a big milestone for our family—and, frankly, my inner tech geek. I just launched the Kid Compass webapp for my kids (ages 9 and 6), and within days, it’s already transformed how we talk about money, habits, and helping around the house.

Why Kid Compass?

Like most parents, I want my kids to grow up confident with money—not just stashing coins in a jar, but actually understanding where their money goes and how small choices add up over time. Kid Compass was designed as a simple, family-friendly app to make those lessons visible:

• Allowance Tracking: Each child has their own digital “banks” for spending, saving, investing, and giving. (We use a simple formula: their age × 2, split across the four categories.)
• Daily Checklists: No more nagging—just two simple routines each day, and points when they actually make their bed or brush their teeth without reminders. Chores are kid-claimable, and rewards are tangible.
• Chore & Points System: Kids can pick their tasks, earn points based on difficulty, and convert those points into privileges or even a little cash.

Conversations That Matter

What surprised me most: launching Kid Compass sparked a wave of unexpected conversations. The kids started asking about:

• Why does saving matter?
• How does investing work (and why isn’t “spending” the only category)?
• What’s actually worth earning points for?

They even started setting goals (“I want to save up for that LEGO set—how long will it take?”) and helping each other make smart choices. Yes, there have been debates about the fairness of point values for chores, but—honestly—that’s half the learning right there.

Tech That Keeps It Simple

Kid Compass is all about visibility: every allowance deposit, every point earned, and every reward-claim is tracked and logged.

Early Wins—and What’s Next

We’re only a week in, but here’s what I’m already seeing:

• Confidence: The kids are more aware (and proud) of their choices.
• Openness: Conversations about spending vs. saving don’t feel awkward—they feel normal.
• Engagement: Chores are (not magically, but steadily) less of a battle.

I built Kid Compass for my own family, but I think these lessons—visibility, empowerment, and a dash of fun—could help a lot of others. If you’re interested, keep an eye out: I’ll be sharing more about our journey (and maybe opening up beta access) soon.

If you have questions about how the allowance or point system works, drop a comment—or just ask your nearest 9-year-old finance guru. They might surprise you.

Want to see Kid Compass in action or learn more?

Let me know! I’m already learning a ton, one dollar (and one chore) at a time.

Uncomplicating Life in a Complicated World: Introducing the SMYL Framework

Let’s be honest: “life hacks” have become as overused as “gluten-free water.” We’re drowning in checklists, apps, notifications, self-help tips, and productivity methods promising to fix everything with one more workflow tweak.

What if the answer isn’t more complexity, but less?
Enter SMYL—Simplify MY Life—my signature framework (and book) for making complexity invisible, and effortless living achievable.

Why Simplicity Matters (and Why You Secretly Crave It)

Most high-performing professionals and creative minds aren’t suffering from a lack of ideas or ambition. The real challenge is overwhelm—the gravitational pull of too many options, priorities, and tools, all jostling for space in your brain (and your phone).

SMYL doesn’t promise a five-minute miracle or one-size-fits-all magic. Instead, it delivers a thoughtful, systemized approach to unblocking energy, focusing on what matters, and—here’s the kicker—actually enjoying the ride.

The Core of SMYL: Make Life Work for You

SMYL stands for Simplify MY Life, and at its heart are three guiding pillars:

1. Clarify:
   Get radically honest about what you want less of and more of. Ambiguity breeds chaos. Clarity is the soil where smart decisions grow.
2. Automate & Delegate:
   Not everything deserves your unique attention. The framework helps you identify what can be handled by systems, routines, or (gasp) other people. The result: less busywork, more creative energy.
3. Align & Refine:
   Regularly check: Does your day reflect your actual priorities, or just everyone else’s emergencies? SMYL plugs self-correction loops into your routines—think: micro-journals, quick reviews, mindful pauses—so you stay agile and avoid drifting back into chaos.

What SMYL Looks Like in Real Life

• Quick, frictionless checklists that actually get used, not just admired.
• Smart use of digital tools to automate repetitive grunt work (without another digital landfill of “productivity” apps).
• Daily practices to review, realign, and optimize—no iron discipline required, just a bit of honesty and a willingness to experiment.

Beyond Productivity: Exponential Intelligence for Humans

SMYL isn’t just another productivity protocol. It’s an operating system for living well—anchored in the belief that the best systems make themselves invisible. You get more headspace, better results, and—here’s a novelty—actual enjoyment.

Because simplifying isn’t about having less for its own sake; it’s about creating space for more of what matters: growth, connection, freedom, and creativity.

Ready to SMYL?

If you’re curious about how SMYL can transform your work and life (without another complicated “system to manage your systems”), stay tuned for more posts—I’ll be post each chapter here in the coming weeks.

And if you have questions or want to share your own stories of simplification (or misadventure), drop them below. Let’s make the complex simple, and the simple satisfying.

Because sometimes, the smartest move is simply… to SMYL.