#1 New Release

The book you wish someone had given you at 13

The Four Forces: A Financial Literacy Book for Teens and Young Adults

A story-based investing book that teaches young people how money grows through four timeless principles: time, ownership, discipline, and diversification.

What is The Four Forces?

The Four Forces is a financial literacy book written for teens and young adults, and the parents and grandparents who want to give them a head start. Dennis G. McCarthy tells the story through Ella, a 13-year-old who notices that the adults around her talk constantly about earning money, spending money, and worrying about money, but never about how it grows. The answers come down to four principles: time, ownership, discipline, and diversification.

The Four Forces teaches the principles almost nobody passes on, and almost everyone wishes they had learned sooner. Give it to the young person in your life before the rest of the world tells them it’s too late.

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The Four Forces book cover
About the Book
“Why do some people end up with money that grows on its own while others keep struggling no matter how hard they work?”

That question starts following Ella on her morning runs. She notices the adults around her working constantly and still worrying. She also notices that others don’t carry that weight. She wants to understand why.

Through conversations with a café owner, a neighbor with a remarkable garden, and her cross-country coach, Ella discovers that building wealth isn’t about luck or a high salary. It comes down to four principles that almost nobody teaches young people — and almost everyone wishes they had learned sooner.

Every grandparent and parent knows that feeling. Most of us figured it out later than we should have — and paid the price for it. The Four Forces gives young people the understanding they need before that window closes.

The Four Forces
The Framework

Four principles. A lifetime of impact.

Time
Time
Start early. Growth accelerates.

The most powerful force in investing. Money planted early has decades to compound — each year’s gains building on the last.

Ownership
Ownership
Own businesses. Share in their success.

Stocks represent real ownership in real companies. When those companies grow and earn profits, owners benefit — even while they sleep.

Discipline
Discipline
Stay the course when markets swing.

Markets rise and fall. The investors who build wealth are those who stay steady — not those who react to every headline.

Diversification
Diversification
Spread risk. Reduce vulnerability.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Spreading investments across many businesses protects against any one failure.

What Readers Are Saying

"Dennis has created a rare gem: a clear, engaging story that turns the complex world of investing into something a child can truly understand and enjoy. By following Ella's journey and her conversations with wise adults, he shows how time, ownership, discipline, and diversification work in real life, without ever talking down to young readers. As a parent, and soon-to-be grandparent, I'm grateful for a book that makes investing feel both accessible and inspiring, and that gives us a beautiful way to start important money conversations with the kids we love."

Alan Skrainka, CFA, former Chief Market Strategist, Edward Jones; author of Principle Based Investing and Investment Insights on Substack

Free Chapter

Read the First Chapter Free

Ella's story starts with a question most adults never think to ask. Download the first chapter and see where it leads.

Download Chapter One Read the Newsletter on Substack
Dennis G. McCarthy
About the Author

Dennis G. McCarthy

Dennis G. McCarthy spent his career leading teams, advising companies, and teaching in executive programs. His work on business strategy and the drivers of long-term value led to The Loyalty Link, a guide for leaders on building lasting competitive advantage.

Recently, his granddaughter asked him a question he couldn’t stop thinking about: how does money actually grow? That question became The Four Forces.

Dennis splits his time between Florida and Connecticut. He has five grandchildren — and counting — and believes the most important things in life are usually the simplest ones, and that most of us learn this later than we should.

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Give a young person the gift
of financial understanding.

Kindle Edition $6.99  ·  Paperback $17.99

The Four Forces

Available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

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Teen & Young Adult / Business & Economics  ·  Four Forces Press  ·  First Edition 2026