Collecting as a Vehicle for Engaging Kids in Building Financial Engagement with Douglas Dreier (Ep. 15)

Collecting is more than a hobby. 

It’s a bridge between generations, a tool for financial learning, and a way to preserve family stories.

In this episode, Joline Godfrey welcomes Douglas Dreier, founder of The Collection Connection, to discuss how collecting ties memory, history, and financial skills together. From comic books to baseball cards, collecting not only nurtures curiosity but also teaches kids valuable life lessons.

Douglas shares:

• How collecting preserves stories and strengthens family bonds
• Why nostalgia drives people to reconnect with childhood joys through objects
• Ways parents can use their child’s interests (like comics or Pokémon) to build bridges
• How collecting teaches financial lessons like bartering, budgeting, and valuing assets
• The role of passion-driven collections in fostering social connection and lifelong learning
• And more!

Resources:

• Get your copy of Raising Financially Fit Kids!

Connect with Joline Godfrey:

• Bounce 10
• LinkedIn: Joline Godfrey
• [e-mail]

Connect with Douglas Dreier:

• LinkedIn: Douglas Dreier
• Website: The Collection Connection

About our Guest: 

The Collection Connection founder, Douglas Dreier, has spent his entire life cultivating the art and understanding the power of collection. With over 15 years spent managing a private museum dedicated to sharing a wide variety of items and collections, Douglas has amassed a variety of iconic items that not only tell a story but portray a unique aspect of human history. 

At the core of Douglas’s mission lies a love for learning and teaching. Before managing his family’s museum, Douglas earned his Master’s Degree in Instructional Design from the University of Maryland, Baltimore College before teaching in low-income areas of Baltimore, Maryland and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Now, Douglas has ventured into the business and consulting side of collecting with The Collection Connection. His vision is to make a community in which he can share his knowledge of museum ownership, investor relationships, curating exhibits, and understanding historical significance. Douglas seeks to inspire others with his passion for collecting. Be it natural history, documents, books, sports, entertainment, and anything else, Douglas believes such items have the power to excite our imaginations, transform our understanding, and bring us closer together. 

Douglas is on the board for the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES), the Smithsonian Regional Council for Los Angeles, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.