Max the dog versus the lion (and that sneaky monkey)
Jacob and the jiggly juicy steak
Ollie the oak and
Foxy
Hello Save Squad members
Welcome to your very own book of money adventures!
Inside, you’ll find fun stories about clever animals and humans who learn how to save their money and spend it wisely. You’ll also get awesome tips and cool activities to help you become a Save Squad hero too! So get ready to read, learn, laugh and play, because saving money can be fun!
Dear Grown-ups
This book was proudly created by Alexforbes. Read more about us and how we can help you on your savings adventures. See page 39.
Camila
Camila
Camila the crow was thirsty. She spotted a jug with water! But the water was low… and her beak was short.
She flapped. She squawked. She even tried sucking it up with a straw. Nothing worked!
Tap tap, Camila dropped in a pebble. Then another. And another.
The water rose. Gulp! She drank it all. Smart birds save the day!
Pour some water in a jug. Then fill it with little rocks and watch the water rise.
Small actions, like saving a little each month, can help you reach your big goal.
You had a big dream – maybe it was a cool LEGO set, a Barbie doll, or even a new bike. It felt far away, like a mountain too tall to climb.
But instead of giving up, you made a plan. Each month, you saved a little bit of your pocket money or birthday money. Just a few pounds at a time.
It didn’t seem like much at first, but slowly, your savings grew. You watched your piggy bank fill up, and your dream got closer and closer.
One day, you had enough! You reached your goal – all because you took small steps and stuck to your plan.
Big dreams don’t need big leaps. Just little steps, taken often.
A story about saving for a rainy day.
In the sunny, giggly, wiggly woods, where mushrooms bounced and trees wore hoods, lived Annie the ant, so neat and so small, who worked through the summer, through spring and through fall.
She gathered up crumbs and packed them away, for cold, wintry nights and a no-food day. With her teeny ant-cart and a sunflower hat, she'd hum little tunes like “Just look at that!”
But who came hopping, with legs flying all over? Greg the grasshopper, loud as a bongo. He strummed on a leaf and sang, “La la la!
No time for chores when you’ve got a guitar!” “Come dance, little Annie! Come leap, come play! Why fuss with crumbs on a sunny day?”
But Annie just smiled, “I’d love to, it’s true, but I’ve got work and you should too!”
Greg flipped and he flopped and he fiddled all day. He gobbled his snacks and he snoozed in the hay. But soon came the wind, all chilly and snappy, and Greg wasn’t feeling quite so… happy.
His tummy went grumble, his toes went numb. His songs sounded flat, and he missed his drum. So o he went, with a knock on her door, to see little Annie and ask her for more.
“Annie”, he said, with a sheepish grin, “I think I forgot to save for the wind!”
Annie blinked twice and gave him a stew, with crunchy corn cakes and warm beetle brew.
“Next time, Greg, save a bit when you can. Then you’ll have plenty and still be the band!”
Greg blushed a bit and tapped out a beat and said,
“You’re right! I’ll save and still have feet!”
Word search
Don’t spend every penny you have, save a little for something fun later.
Every Saturday, you get some pocket money. It’s tempting to spend it all on sweets right away! But instead, you decide to save just a little, maybe £1.00 each week, in your piggy bank. Week by week, your savings grow.
After four Saturdays, you’ve saved £4.00!
That’s enough to buy a fun new game on your phone and you still got to enjoy a few sweets along the way.
The secret?
You didn’t spend it all at once. You saved a little and it added up to something great.
See how many words about saving and about money you can find in the block above. Hint, there are 14. The answers are on page 38.
A story about how slow and steady wins the race.
Tommy Harry
& Tommy
the tortoise Harry the hare
Harry the hare zoomed up with swagger.
Tommy the tortoise blinked and said,
“Catch me if you can, slow-shell!”
"Let's see who is the fastest", Harry the hare says to Tommy the tortoise... "I'll race you to the finish line!"
“Race to the big tree!”
Harry dashed! He zoomed!
He backflipped midair!
Tommy took one small step, then another with care.
“I’d rather go slow and do things well.”
The crowd shouted:
“Whoever wins gets a bag of beans. Not just any beans, magic beans that grow money trees!”
“This
race is too easy”,
Harry said, and curled in the shade for a nap on a bed.
“WHOOOSH!”
Harry bolted to the tree…
Tommy trudged on, step after step, saving each second like coins he had kept.
…But Tommy had already finished slow and steady, you see!
Never give up on your goal.
Saving a little bit over time will get you there.
Every week, you decide to save just 50p from your pocket money. It doesn’t seem like much at first, but you stick with it, week after week.
By the end of the year, you’ve saved 50p × 52 weeks = £26.00. That’s enough to buy an ice cream every day during your holiday or maybe something even cooler.
The secret?
You didn’t rush. You didn’t give up. You just kept going, slow and steady and it worked!
Make a tortoise tracker with friends
Materials you will need:
• About 10 pieces of paper.
• Animal cutouts or stickers.
• Goal cards (like save 50p a week, read 1 book a week). Make around 15 cards.
• Give each goal a value: 1 for easy goals, 2 for harder ones. Saving 50p a week may be easier to do than reading 1 book every week.
• A jar to hold the goal cards.
• Markers or crayons.
What to do:
1. Build the race track
Lay the pieces of paper in a line on the floor to create a race track.
2. Mark the finish line
Write “Goal!” on the last piece of paper. That is the finish line!
3. Start the race
Each of you choose an animal (tortoise, hare, or something else in case more friends are playing).
Place your animal cutouts at the beginning of the track (first piece of paper).
4. Draw and move
Take turns drawing a goal card from the jar.
• If the card is worth 1, move your animal cutout forward 1 space.
• If it’s worth 2, move forward 2 spaces.
5. Goal: To get to the finish line, even if it takes a little longer than you thought it would.
Uncle Liam
Every week, Uncle Liam would shu e to the old mango tree. He’d dig, peek at his buried box of coins, and sigh, "Ahhhh".
But he never used it. Not for bread. Not for milk. Not for dreams.
Uncle Liam
One night, a sneaky squirrel spotted the hole.
The next morning, it was empty.
Uncle Liam screamed, “My GOLD! MY LIFE!”
Neighbour Auntie Isabella came running.
“Did you ever use the money, Liam?” she asked.
“No! I only looked at it!”
She shrugged. “Then come look at the hole. Same thing.”
From that day, Uncle Liam opened a little vegetable shop.
The
money moved and grew.
Money that just sits around does nothing. Make your money work for you!
Instead of leaving your money in a drawer where it just sits, ask Mom or Dad to help you open a bank account. Every month, put a little of your pocket money into the account.
Here’s the exciting part: your money doesn’t just sit there, it grows! The bank gives you a little extra money called interest. That means you earn money just for saving!
And guess what? Next month, you earn interest not only on what you saved, but also on the interest you earned last month. It keeps growing, like a snowball rolling down a hill!
Saving smart means your money works for you, even while you sleep!
Calculate your savings
After you’ve read the story and the lessons, try to calculate the following:
You put £10.00 into your bank account. You earn £1.00 in interest* on your savings at the end of the month. Your friend puts in £20.00 in his bank account and earns £2.00 interest on his savings.
1. What is the total savings in your bank account?
2. What is your friend's total savings in his bank account?
Answers on page 38.
What is “interest”?
Interest is like a thank-you gift that a bank gives you for letting them keep your money safe. Imagine you have £5.00 and you put it in a savings jar at the bank. The bank says: “Thanks for letting us hold your money! We’ll give you a little extra every month!”
So after a while, you look in your jar and surprise, now you have £5.50 instead of just £5.00. That extra 50p is called interest. The longer you leave your money there, the more interest you can get!
and the four siblings
A story about how money grows, no matter the season.
Winter
Adam writes:
and the four siblings
From the journal of Joanna's grandkids:
Spring Cara writes:
"I walked to the mango tree. it looked… dead.
Just a dry stick. Not even a bug on it."
"I saw shiny green leaves! New ones! It looked like it was waking up!”
Ben
Summer
Amy writes:
Autumn
Ben writes:
“FLOWERS! Pink, fluffy, sweet-smelling ones.
I took a selfie with it.”
“YO!
Juicy mangoes! I picked five. Joanna made chutney!”
We
all looked at the tree together. Joanna smiled.
“Things my darlings.” in their grow own time
Make a seasonal puppet
Materials you will need:
Ice lollie sticks, paper, fabric scraps and glue.
What to do:
Create a puppet for each season (for example Spring could be a child with flowers in their hair, Winter with a scarf).
Saving money is like planting seeds, don’t touch it and see how your money grows.
Every month, you put a little bit of your pocket money into your bank account. It might not seem like much at first, but just like seeds in the soil, something magical is happening.
Create a play where your season puppet tell your friends about saving money for a goal.
Ask Mum or Dad to show you your bank statement each month (it's like a report card on your savings). You’ll see your money growing, not just from what you saved, but also from interest. (Remember you read about interest in Uncle Liam and the hole filled with his gold.)
The longer you leave your money in the bank, the more it grows, all on its own.
So plant your savings, be patient and watch your money garden grow!
Once upon a time in St. Peter, a farmer named Noah had a goose named Emma.
Each morning, she laid a golden egg. Real gold. Noah became rich.
But one day, he got greedy. “If I cut her open, I’ll get ALL the eggs at once!” He did. He didn’t.
Emma was just a goose inside. No gold. No more eggs. No more fortune.
So he sat with his empty basket, full of regret.
My Golden Egg savings jar
Materials you will need:
• Plastic eggs or paper cutouts of eggs
• A jar or envelope
• Markers, stickers and paper
• On a piece of paper, write: “Golden Egg Tracker”
What to do:
1. Decorate your jar or envelope as your Golden Egg savings jar.
2. Every week (or day), “earn” a golden egg by saving a small amount of money or completing a helpful task for Mum, Dad or your siblings for money.
3. Write your goal on the jar (for example, “Save for a book” or “Save for a toy”).
4. Track your progress by adding a golden egg to your tracker each time you save.
5. After a set time (for example, 4 weeks), count the eggs and see how close you are to your goal.
Don’t rush or be greedy, let your money grow slowly and steadily.
You received birthday money and made a smart choice: you put it in the bank account your mum or dad opened for you. There, it was safe, no one could take it and you couldn’t spend it on a whim. Instead of disappearing quickly, your money stayed put and started to grow, thanks to interest. Remember interest? You read about it in Uncle Liam and the hole filled with his gold.
That’s what it means to take care of your money. You didn’t rush to spend it or try to make it grow too fast. You were patient, and your money rewarded you by growing quietly, month by month.
Take care of your money, and it will take care of you.
A story about checking the facts before you act.
Max the dog got lost in the jungle.
A lion spotted him and licked his lips.
Max panicked… until he saw old bones nearby.
“Mmm, that lion meat was tasty!”
he barked loudly.
The lion skidded to a stop.
“Wha—what?!”
A monkey, watching from a tree, shouted:
“That dog’s lying!
He
saw some bones and pretended!”
“Hop on my back!” the lion roared.
“Let’s teach him a lesson!”
Max spotted them coming. Gulp.
Then he yelled:
“Where’s that monkey? I asked him to bring me another lion
an hour ago!”
Frightened, the lion turned around and ran away as fast as he could.
Don’t make money moves based on scary stories or quick guesses. Learn the facts first.
You spotted a cool Pokémon card online and someone said it only costs £5.00. Excited, you were ready to spend your savings right away! But before buying, you asked Mum to help you check the details.
Good thing you did: the delivery cost was £10.00! That’s more than the card itself. If you hadn’t checked, you would’ve spent way more than you planned.
The lesson? Always check the facts before you act. Now you can keep saving and maybe find a better deal, or something even cooler!
Monkey quiz: Smart or sneaky
The sneaky monkey is up to no good again. He is spreading lies about saving money. Can you tell if the monkey is fooling you or is giving you smart advice?
The sneaky monkey says… 1 2 3 4 5
"If you spend all your money right away, you’ll never need to save!"
Is that smart or sneaky?
"Saving a little every week can help you buy something big later."
Hmm... monkey truth or monkey trick?
"Keeping your money in a bank makes it grow, using interest."
Sounds bananas, right?
"When you see something cool, you should buy it straight away, even if you don’t really need it."
Would a wise saver agree?
"Making a money goal can help you save up for something special."
The monkey might be telling the truth for once!
The answers are on page 38.
Jacob J o
A story about staying focused on your own goals.
andthe jiggly juicy steak Jacob
Jacob the dog had a jiggly, juicy steak. He pranced across the bridge, chomp, chomp, chomp.
Underneath, in the water, he saw… another dog!
With a steak twice as big!
“Grrr”, Jacob growled.
“I want that one too!” He leapt!
SPLASH!
The “other dog” vanished. So did his steak, whoosh, down the river.
All he had now was soggy paws.
Don’t lose focus on your goal by chasing someone else’s.
You had a plan: save your pocket money for months so you could enjoy the water park rides during your beach holiday in the summer. But then your friend got a new PS5 game, and it looked so cool! You wanted one too, so badly that you spent all your savings to get it too.
At first, it felt exciting. But soon, the game wasn’t as fun anymore. And now, your holiday is coming, but your savings are gone.
The lesson? What looks better in the moment might just be an illusion. Stick to your goal. What you truly want is worth the wait and the joy lasts longer.
My steak, my goal!
• Draw a picture of the dog holding his steak.
• Then draw a picture of your own goal (for example, a toy, a trip, a book).
• Around the goal, write or draw the things that might distract you from getting to your goal (for example, other toys, sweets, games).
• Write on your drawing: I will stick to my goal!
the oak and the river reeds
A story about how life sometimes just happens.
Ollie Ollie Listen Home
Ollie Ollie
the
oak and the river reeds
Ollie Oak stood proud, tall and wide, rooted deep by the riverside.
But when the storm howled, and the wind bent the skies, he cracked and he tumbled, despite his size.
The little reeds whispered, “We bend, but don’t break. We dance with the wind, and bend for safety’s sake.”
Riddles about saving
I’m small and round, I jingle a lot. You save me up in a piggy pot.
What
am I?
I’m a place where your money can grow, not in the ground, but interest I show.
What
am I?
I’m not a toy, but I hold your dreams, you feed me coins and sometimes beans. I help you save for something sweet, like a doll or a LEGO treat.
What am I?
I’m something you earn when chores are done, I’m not a toy, but I can buy one.
What am I?
Answers on page 38.
It's okay to change your plans when things turn out di erently than expected.
You were saving up for a big LEGO set or a Barbie doll, something you really wanted. But then your friends asked you to go to the movies with them. It felt like a tough choice: skip the movie or give up on your dream toy.
Instead, you found a middle path. You used a bit of your savings for the movie and decided to save a little longer for the LEGO set or Barbie doll.
You didn’t give up, you just adjusted.
Sometimes, you need to bend, not break. Plans can change and that’s okay. What matters is staying true to your goals, even if the journey takes a little longer.
Foxy Freddie
and the grapes in the sky
A story about a fox who, when he could not reach his goal, became bitter.
Foxy Freddie
Foxy Freddie
and the grapes in the sky
and the grapes in the sky
Foxy Freddie's thoughts while walking outside one day:
Saw grapes. So high. So juicy. So… ugh! I jumped. Missed. I leapt again. Failed. After the fifth try, I yelled: “WHO EVEN LIKES GRAPES? THEY’RE PROBABLY SOUR!” Honestly, I just couldn’t reach them. But hating them made it feel better. (Sort of.)
Note to self: Next time, water your own grapevine. Jealousy makes you bitter.
Set your own savings goals.
Don’t chase someone else’s.
Maybe your friend spends their birthday money on a LEGO set or a Barbie doll, and you feel a twinge of jealousy.
But then you remember: you’re saving up for that Monster Jam truck or the jewellery-making kit you’ve been dreaming about.
Stick to your goal, you’re getting closer every day. Don’t let someone else’s choices distract you or derail your dream. Your goal is yours for a reason.
Stay focused and you’ll get there.
A challenge for you!
Now that you have learnt about saving your money, write down your goal on a piece of paper.
• What do you want to buy?
• How much does it cost?
• How much will you save every month?
• How long will it take you to reach your goal (how many months)?
Now you can track how you need to get to your goal.
A message from Spencer, the Save Squad leader
“Every pound you save, every smart money move you make, is like planting a fruit tree. Be patient. Be clever. Ask for help when you’re unsure. And most of all, have fun while learning to save.”
Every investment is filled with purpose, expectation and responsibility.
Alexforbes is a leading diversified financial services company offering employee benefit solutions, retirement, health and sustainability consulting, and investment and wealth management to corporates, financial advisers and individuals.
Our integrated, advice-led approach is built on deep expertise in retirement, health and investment, earning clients’ trust through impactful solutions.
In 2025, we celebrated 50 years of purpose, resilience and the belief that financial expertise should empower better lives. Since 1975, we’ve supported individuals, businesses and communities in securing their futures and navigating a changing world.
We understand that behind every pound invested lies time, effort and the pursuit of something meaningful. That’s why we’ve built a trusted destination where investors, no matter their age or stage in life, can feel confident that they’re in the right place.
At Alexforbes, we believe the journey to financial wellbeing begins early.
That’s why we’re passionate about helping children – the investors of tomorrow –understand the value of money, the habit of saving and the power of planning. By equipping them with practical tools and age-appropriate lessons, we help set them on the path toward future financial confidence, whether that means saving for a new toy today or for retirement decades from now.
We support investors at every step of life’s journey, from the first savings goal to managing wealth in later years. A place where goals are understood and supported, where success is shaped by deep research, disciplined investing and expert guidance.
Whether you’re managing a fund, advising clients, guiding learners, or investing for your own future, this is the place for you. Because when every pound invested carries meaning, it matters where you invest.
Jersey celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, honouring a legacy built on insight, trusted advice and a lasting positive impact on people’s lives.
Looking ahead, we know that staying relevant means adapting, embracing new technologies and preparing not only our clients, but also the next generation, for a changing world. That’s why financial literacy for children has become an increasingly important part of our purpose. Helping young people build healthy financial habits today supports stronger financial wellbeing for families and communities tomorrow.
Our golden jubilee was and is therefore both a celebration of everything we’ve achieved and a reaffirmation of our promise to guide, educate and empower, now and for the next 50 years. It reflects our dedication to the highest standards of advice and our continued commitment to improving the financial futures of all those we serve.
To discuss our services and offerings or any questions you may have, please contact us on: +44 1534 837837 | info@alexforbes.je | www.alexforbes.com/je/en
The serious stu for the grown-ups to read
Disclaimer
Alexander Forbes Investments Jersey Limited (AFIJ) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for the conduct of fund services business and is the Manager of the Alexander Forbes Investments Global Fund (the Fund), an open-ended unit trust, established in Jersey on 28 April 1997 as an unclassified fund.
The information in this document belongs to Alexforbes. You may not copy, distribute or modify any part of this document without the express written permission of Alexforbes.
