Why do most workers end up with pennies later in life after earning millions of dollars throughout their lifetime?  What prevents most people from escaping the anxiety of living paycheck to paycheck and the overwhelming realization of getting nowhere financially? What are the underlining causes that keep people living on credit, even when doing so results in financial ruin?

In this transformative book, author and financial management coach Tom Graneau points out that despite the college degree and perfect career, most workers stay broke. The big houses, expensive cars, and other lavish props are merely concealing the truth that even those who make six-figure incomes are feeling the financial squeeze and facing eventual poverty.

Written for young adults, especially those who are thinking about marriage, having children, and financial success, this provocative book reveals:

• • Practical solutions to overcome seven (7) cultural barriers that keep most people from achieving financial success

• • Actionable steps to avoid cultural habits that lead to financial decline

• • A low-cost approach around the #1 practice that lead to financial failure 

• • Easy-to-use financial techniques to beat the economic game and win

• • The best cash flow strategy to get ahead financially on a small income

Packed with solutions to either fix or prevent financial chaos, Pennies to Power is the true definition of empowerment—a way of escaping the tense and exhaustive lifestyle that has become too common.

Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author Tom Graneau whose book Pennies to Power informed and entertained me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love finance but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight for Tom Graneau an interview between us both will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it!

Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity respond to your questions, Aimee.

My name is Tom Graneau [Granoh]. I was born in Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean with a population of roughly 70,000 people. While growing up, I had little or no time for school, partly because of family complications. From twelve years old, I had to provide for siblings and my chronically ill mother.

When I was seventeen years old, my mother and I immigrated to the United States. Unable to read or write, I became acutely aware of my need for an education and began seeking ways to be in school. At the age of nineteen, I was admitted into a private school where I began my studies at the second-grade level.

At twenty-four years old, I got married and started a family. When my first child was born, I decided to join the military and was sent to California. After fourteen years in the US Navy, I left the military and decided to pursue a college degree to improve my chances for a better life. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in business administration, I continued my education and obtained a master’s degree in Organization Management. Later, I pursued financial work and studies for my current writing career.

Today, I’m a self-improvement advocate. I inspire change in families and individuals for personal growth, including financial prosperity. Pennies to Power: How to Use Your 20s to Gain Financial Independence for Life is my latest work toward this endeavor.

Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?

Pennies to Power is about personal finance. The book is written especially for young adults—ages 16-25—who want to be financially successful or have watched their parents struggle with money and don’t want to repeat their mistakes. The book highlights some of the cultural issues that keep most people in debt, living the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle, and ultimately retiring broke. This scenario also includes some who making six-figure incomes.

Since the problem is pervasive, the hope is that young people will grasp the knowledge and wisdom within the pages of the book and bring an end to the ravaging debt cycle and other financial problems that seem to take the joy out life. Starting early, they can avoid some of the hazards that hinder financial progress and ultimately become successful. Going deeper, they will also have the know-how to teach their children to do the same.

I was inspired to write Pennies to Power because of my personal and professional experiences. As a financial management specialist for ten years, I dealt with thousands of clients, both from the military and private sector, who struggled with personal finance. Some of the areas of concern included keeping up with large mortgage payment, new car loans, and high credit card balances. At the same time, though I appeared to be doing well financially, I was grappling with the same issues.

Desperately wanting to resolve my clients’ financial dilemma as well as my own, I delved into a research project on the topic of personal finance and discovered some shocking realities. Close to 90% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Though we try to conceal the matter, our habits, lifestyles, and bank accounts reveal the truth—Most working families are cash poor and deeply in debt. Worse, younger generations are making the same mistakes as their parents. I felt something had to be done about the problem beyond the scope of my office.

Pennies to Power is not the entire solution to the problem. However, it highlights some of the prevailing issues that keep most people cash-poor. More importantly, it provides solutions for either fixing or preventing the problem, paving the way to a new beginning—one that sets the reader on the right track for financial independence.

In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?

The most important thing about a book is the message—a moving narrative (real or imagined) that provides enough information that excites the reader’s emotion. Though each reader may react to the message differently, the intent is to induce a response that will motivate him or her into action.

It is my hope that the message in Pennies to Power will do just that—motivate readers into a better state of financial readiness that will impact their lives forever.

What is your writing process like?

My writing process is somewhat personal but may not be entirely unique. It begins with the following:

• I decide on a topic—something with broad interest.
• I compose a title—something catchy, attractive, and easy on the tongue. The title may go through several revisions (tweaking processes) before the book is published.
• I outline the book by chapters, using key points as chapter headings.
• Then I begin the arduous process of writing, moving through each chapter systematically all the way to the end.
• When I get to the end, I go through the entire manuscript again, making sure that the message is clear. This process may require a third pass before the project is sent to an editor.
• Often, front matter such as the introduction, credits, etc., are the last to be written.

Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?

Honestly, I’m always in a writing mode. Because I have much to write about, the tendency is to begin the next book roughly two weeks after the most current project is completed. However, circumstances are not always conducive for such an approach. Spending time marketing the most recent project usually takes precedence, and the next book is pushed into the background for some future date.

Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?  

As I respond to these questions, I’m eager to get the next project in motion, and hopefully, this will happen sooner than later. Even so, the completion date might be a year or so down the road.

It has been a pleasure responding to these questions. Thanks again for the opportunity for doing so.

Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Tom Graneau! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more about Tom Graneau, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.

Goodbye for now book lovers,

Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads

Tom Graneau: Barnes & Noble – Twitter – Facebook – Instagram