Twin brothers make “Money Magic:” UW professor & his financial adviser twin brother drop children’s book
Twin brothers Quentin Riser and Quinlan Riser have spent their adult lives working in different worlds. One studies child development and poverty as a university researcher. The other works in finance and insurance, helping adults protect and grow their money.
Those paths converged in an unexpected place: a children’s book.
Their new book, Eden’s Money Magic: Learning About Finance, is designed to introduce kids (and their parents) to financial concepts that many adults never formally learn. The idea grew out of years of conversations between the brothers, shaped by their professional experiences and their shared belief that financial education comes too late for too many people.
“The earlier you start, the better off you’re going to be,” Quinlan said in an interview for the 365 Amplified podcast. “If you start saving at 22, you can save a lot less (per month) than if you start saving at 40 to get to the same target.”
Listen to the full interview:
Different paths, shared purpose
The Riser brothers were pretty inseparable as kids, born in Seattle and raised largely in Colorado Springs. They attended the same small liberal arts college in Kansas City, played football together, and even roomed together before their careers diverged.
Quentin pursued academia, earning a PhD and eventually joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Human Ecology, where he studies child development and family outcomes. Quinlan went into the financial world, spending nearly a decade at Principal Financial Group before becoming a financial advisor and later leading an insurance business.
Despite those differences, they were seeing the same problem from opposite ends.
“A lot of individuals with the knowledge weren’t necessarily going into the communities that had the need and sharing that information,” Quinlan said of his early years in finance. As he worked with clients and led financial education workshops, he noticed that many adults were encountering basic concepts — from compound interest to insurance — for the first time.
Quentin saw the same gaps through research.
“From a child development research perspective, I’m always an advocate for early interventions,” he said. “The earlier we act, the better.”
The idea for a children’s book began forming years ago, when Quinlan showed up one day with a stack of picture books.
“He came to me and said, ‘We need to figure out how to communicate these concepts early,’” Quentin recalled. Writing for children, he knew, would be very different from academic prose — but the challenge made sense.
At the same time, Quentin was working on research examining how shared book reading between parents and children supports cognitive and social-emotional development. That evidence helped shape the book’s purpose.
“It’s designed to be a two-generational book,” Quentin said. “The kids are going to ask their parents, ‘Mom, Dad, what is estate planning?’ And if the parents don’t know, they’re going to have to go look that up.”
For Quinlan, the idea became even more concrete during client meetings.
“Kids would be sitting in the room while I was meeting with their parents,” he said. “They were engaged, they were listening, but they didn’t really understand what was going on.”
He began thinking about what it would look like if children arrived at those conversations already equipped with some basic understanding.
“If we give that kid a book to take home and read,” he said, “the next time they come back, they can engage more. They’re inquisitive. They’re listening. They’re taking it all in.”
Making money less mysterious
At the center of Eden’s Money Magic is a cat named Eden, inspired by Quentin’s daughter. Set in a fictional town called Moneyville, the story walks children through everyday financial situations using analogies, conversation, and humor.
“We use stories and analogies to make these concepts real,” Quinlan said. “So even a 5- or 6-year-old can understand them.”
The book covers topics like ATMs, credit, compound interest, and even estate planning — ideas many adults find intimidating. But the Risers believe familiarity is the first step toward confidence.
“For whatever reason in our society, it’s taboo, even within families, to talk about money,” Quinlan said. “This creates a platform for families to engage in those conversations.”
Quentin remembers his own childhood misunderstandings.
“I remember pulling up to the ATM and seeing cash come out, and thinking, ‘Oh, this is a place where people can just get money,’” he said. “These conversations help kids understand that money isn’t infinite. It comes from work, saving, and planning.”
The goal, they say, isn’t mastery — it’s comfort.
“When people sit down with a financial professional, it can be uncomfortable,” Quinlan said. “But on the other side of that discomfort is financial health.”
Impact over sales
The book was released in early December and is available online through major retailers, as well as in brick-and-mortar bookstores. While sales have been steady, the brothers say that was never the primary goal.
“We never set out to sell a million copies,” Quinlan said. “If one family buys this book and starts having these conversations, that’s enough.”
They’ve already heard from schools and educators interested in using the book as part of broader financial literacy efforts. For the Risers, that kind of response signals they’re on the right track.
“If we can give a family years’ worth of research and years’ worth of conversations in 20 minutes,” Quinlan said, “that’s an incredible feat.”
Working on the project also brought the brothers back into close collaboration, something they hadn’t really done since their days playing football.
“His strengths complement my weaknesses,” Quentin said. “Pairing what he knows with what I know has been really fun.”
Quinlan agreed.
“This book is really formed by years and years in two different domains that come together really nicely,” he said.
They’re already talking about future projects and other ways to blend research, practice, and storytelling. For now, they’re focused on one simple hope: that talking about money becomes normal, not intimidating — and that those conversations start early.
“The earlier we start,” Quinlan said, “the better off everyone’s going to be.”