My Top Ten List of Dad Skills - Money Lessons with Andrew Temte, PhD, CFA

Summary7 min read

Saturday Morning Muse – Episode Summary: "My Top Ten List of Dad Skills"

Host: Dr. Andrew Temte, CFA
Release Date: June 14, 2025

Introduction

In this special Father's Day weekend edition of Saturday Morning Muse, host Dr. Andrew Temte celebrates fathers by sharing his meticulously curated "Top Ten List of Dad Skills." Recognizing the multifaceted role of fathers as role models, educators, and pillars of the community, Dr. Temte emphasizes the importance of developing and embodying essential skills that not only benefit dads themselves but also positively influence their families and broader social circles.

Dr. Temte (00:45): "Fathers are first and foremost role models to their children and as an extension to the entire community."

1. Self-Love

Dr. Temte begins his list with the foundational skill of self-love. He asserts that self-acceptance and inner peace are crucial for fathers to effectively contribute to their families and communities. Without a genuine love for oneself, it's challenging to bring one's best self to various aspects of life.

Dr. Temte (01:30): "If you don't love the person that you are, it is not possible to bring your best whole self to your work, your family and your community."

He compares self-love to the essential act of securing one's own oxygen mask before assisting others during an airplane flight, highlighting its non-negotiable importance.

2. Constructive Vulnerability

Contrary to traditional stereotypes that equate fatherhood with stoicism, Dr. Temte champions "constructive vulnerability." He challenges the notion that fathers must never display emotions or admit weaknesses, arguing that genuine human connection arises from openness.

Dr. Temte (02:15): "To be human is to be imperfect. Dads need a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at and with ourselves."

By embracing vulnerability, fathers can prevent the buildup of unhealthy behaviors and foster healthier relationships with their children and communities.

3. Integrity

Integrity stands as the third essential skill. Dr. Temte underscores the importance of doing the right thing consistently, even in the absence of oversight. Fathers who model integrity build trust and set a moral compass for their children.

Dr. Temte (03:00): "Dads take the moral high ground. They're reliable, consistent, and dependable."

Such unwavering honesty and accountability not only enhance personal character but also inspire similar values in the next generation.

4. Compassion

Compassion is a multifaceted skill that involves empathy, action, and emotional resilience. Dr. Temte defines compassion as the ability to understand others' feelings, take actionable steps to help, and maintain emotional boundaries to prevent personal overwhelm.

Dr. Temte (04:00): "Compassion is empathy plus the willingness to do something about those challenges, plus the ability to emotionally detach."

He acknowledges the difficulty of achieving true compassion, especially regarding one's own children, but emphasizes its critical role in effective parenting.

5. Grit

Resilience and determination characterize the fifth skill on the list. Dr. Temte highlights grit as the ability to persevere through life's inevitable challenges, teaching children that success often requires sustained effort and courage.

Dr. Temte (04:45): "Dads teach their children that life is not exclusively filled with rainbows, unicorns, and puppy dogs."

This realism prepares children to navigate the complexities of the world with strength and persistence.

6. Industriousness

Contrary to the stereotype of the "lazy dad," industriousness emphasizes a strong work ethic and the proactive creation of value. Dr. Temte argues that productive fathers not only contribute meaningfully at work and home but also inspire their children to adopt similar diligence.

Dr. Temte (05:30): "Great dads show others how to add value – not just be busy, but add value in the workplace, at home, and in the community."

7. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) encompasses a suite of skills essential for effective interpersonal interactions. Dr. Temte breaks down EI into components such as self-regulation, situational awareness, active listening, self-motivation, and self-awareness.

Dr. Temte (06:15): "Self-awareness is a necessary condition to achieving self-love. To love the self, a dad must be willing and able to tune into their own feelings, thoughts, and actions."

He advocates for self-reflection and even therapy as means to enhance EI, thereby improving personal well-being and parenting effectiveness.

8. Decision Making

Effective decision-making is pivotal in shaping a child's future. Dr. Temte emphasizes that fathers who demonstrate logical, critical, and informed decision-making processes equip their children with the tools to make sound choices independently.

Dr. Temte (07:00): "Modeling good decision making through logic, critical thinking, data collection, analysis, and evaluation of available options will help your children develop these skills."

By prioritizing thoughtful decisions, fathers influence their children's ability to navigate adulthood successfully.

9. Lifelong Learning

A commitment to continuous education defines the ninth skill. Dr. Temte believes that fathers who prioritize their own learning and support their children's educational pursuits foster an environment of growth and adaptability.

Dr. Temte (07:45): "Dads should invest in their own education and be the greatest cheerleaders throughout their children's lifetime of learning."

This dedication not only enhances personal development but also encourages a love for learning in the family dynamic.

10. Financial Literacy

Concluding the list, Dr. Temte addresses financial literacy as the capstone skill every father should master. He stresses the importance of understanding money management, including saving, investing, responsible use of debt, and imparting these principles to children.

Dr. Temte (08:30): "Great dads are responsible with money. They understand how to save and invest, know the appropriate use of debt, and teach their children how to make good decisions about their personal economy."

By fostering financial acumen, fathers empower their children to achieve economic stability and independence.

Conclusion

Dr. Andrew Temte wraps up the episode by acknowledging that while the "Top Ten Dad Skills" list is aspirational, it serves as a guide for continuous personal and paternal growth. He candidly admits his own imperfections and commits to ongoing self-improvement, emphasizing that fatherhood is a shared journey of learning and development.

Dr. Temte (09:45): "You're both on lifelong learning journeys together."

He concludes with heartfelt gratitude towards his own sons and extends warm wishes for a joyful Father's Day weekend, encouraging all fathers to embrace their roles with grace, dignity, and compassion.

Key Quotes

Self-Love Importance:
"If you don't love the person that you are, it is not possible to bring your best whole self to your work, your family and your community." ([00:45])
Constructive Vulnerability:
"To be human is to be imperfect. Dads need a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at and with ourselves." ([02:15])
Integrity in Action:
"Dads take the moral high ground. They're reliable, consistent, and dependable." ([03:00])
Defining Compassion:
"Compassion is empathy plus the willingness to do something about those challenges, plus the ability to emotionally detach." ([04:00])
Grit's Role in Parenting:
"Dads teach their children that life is not exclusively filled with rainbows, unicorns, and puppy dogs." ([04:45])
Emphasizing Industriousness:
"Great dads show others how to add value – not just be busy, but add value in the workplace, at home, and in the community." ([05:30])
Emotional Intelligence Breakdown:
"Self-awareness is a necessary condition to achieving self-love. To love the self, a dad must be willing and able to tune into their own feelings, thoughts, and actions." ([06:15])
Modeling Decision Making:
"Modeling good decision making through logic, critical thinking, data collection, analysis, and evaluation of available options will help your children develop these skills." ([07:00])
Promoting Lifelong Learning:
"Dads should invest in their own education and be the greatest cheerleaders throughout their children's lifetime of learning." ([07:45])
Financial Literacy Emphasis:
"Great dads are responsible with money. They understand how to save and invest, know the appropriate use of debt, and teach their children how to make good decisions about their personal economy." ([08:30])
Embracing the Journey Together:
"You're both on lifelong learning journeys together." ([09:45])

About the Host:
Dr. Andrew Temte, CFA, is an esteemed financial expert, author, and former CEO of Kaplan Professional. With a doctorate in finance from the University of Iowa and over 15 years of teaching experience, Dr. Temte combines his academic prowess with practical insights. Additionally, he channels his creativity as the leader of the rock band, The Remainders, celebrating their first original album, Feel Something New.

Connect with Dr. Temte: www.andrewtemte.com

This summary is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the podcast episode "My Top Ten List of Dad Skills" from Saturday Morning Muse. For the full experience, listeners are encouraged to tune into the episode via major streaming platforms or YouTube.

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
Andy Tempte
Foreign hi, I'm Andy Tempte and welcome to this special Father's Day weekend edition of the Saturday Morning Muse. Start your weekend with musings that are designed to improve financial literacy around the world. Today is June 14, 2025. Before we continue our history lessons on the origins of money, I like to pause and wish all the fathers out there a happy Father's Day weekend. While dads routinely get teased and roasted for their dad jokes and dad bods, being a father is the joy of a lifetime, but it's also serious business. Fathers are first and foremost role models to their children and as an extension to the entire community. Fathers are educators. Fathers turn words into action. Fathers model the traits and skills that are needed for social and workplace success. So to celebrate Father's Day weekend, here's my top 10 list of the skills and traits fathers should focus on adopting, developing and modeling. Number one in our list is self love. Everything starts here. If you don't love the person that you are, if you're not at peace with yourself, if you don't understand your reason for being, your purpose for being on this planet, it is not possible to bring your best whole self to your work, your family and your community. Period. If you've been on an airplane and have paid any attention to the pre flight safety briefings, the importance of self love is akin to putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others, especially your kids. Number two in our list is constructive vulnerability. The traditional view that fathers shouldn't show emotion, admit failure, or allow themselves to show any kind of weakness is complete bs. Clunking through life wearing an emotional suit of armor, keeping everything bottled up and not letting anyone else see the real you is a surefire way to allow unhealthy behaviors to boil over just when you don't want them to. To be human is to be imperfect Dads. We need a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at and with ourselves. Number three in our list is integrity. Great dads model integrity. Dads do the right thing even when no one is looking. Dads are honest and hold themselves accountable for their actions. Dads take the moral high ground. They're reliable, consistent and dependable. They show respect for others, especially toward the women in their lives. Number four in our list of top 10 dad skills is compassion. Compassion is a big word that's often misunderstood. Compassion is empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, plus the willingness to do something about those challenges, plus the ability to emotionally detach and not allow the feelings of others to Become your own this last bit. The ability to emotionally detach is essential, but it's really hard when it comes to your children. Number five in our list is grit. Dads are resilient. They're determined. They are persistent. They are courageous. Dads know that life is full of tough sledding. They teach their children that life is not exclusively filled with rainbows, unicorns and puppy dogs. Number six in our list is industriousness. While dads get a bad rap for naps on the couch and maybe nodding off at church, great dads earn that reputation through their strong work ethic and industriousness. Most importantly, they show others how to add value. Not just be busy, but add value in the workplace, at home and in the community. Number seven is emotional intelligence. This is a really big one because emotional intelligence is an entire social and emotional skill toolkit filled with sub skills like self regulation, situational awareness, active listening, self motivation and self awareness. For example, self awareness is a necessary condition to achieving self love. The first item in our list. To love the self, a dad must be willing and able to tune into their own feelings, thoughts and actions. Self awareness is developed through self reflection and personal discovery. Dads should not be afraid at all of sitting with themselves and their thoughts and working through them and going to therapy. Therapy is not a four letter word. Now number eight in our list of the top ten dad skills is decision making. Great dads know that their children are the product of their upbringing when decisions are made for them and the stack of decisions they make once they have the agency to make decisions for themselves. Modeling good decision making through the use of logic, critical thinking, data collection, analysis and evaluation of available options will help your children develop these skills and will help them advance more quickly once they've flown the coop and they're on their own. 9. Lifelong learning dads know that learning never stops. They invest in their own education and their children's education. They the greatest cheerleaders throughout their children's lifetime of learning. And finally, number of 10. Number 10. Big surprise, financial literacy. It should be no surprise that our top 10 list of dad skills ends with financial literacy. Great dads are responsible with money. They understand how to save and invest. They know the appropriate use of debt. And they teach their children how to make good decisions about the their personal economy. I encourage all dads to continue to build their own financial literacy skills and encourage their children to learn about money and the economy. So that's my top 10 list of dad skills. Being a dad is the ultimate lifelong learning. Journey. The vast majority of new dads don't have all these skills fully developed. It's an aspirational list that I've developed with the full benefit of hindsight, as I am now. Wait for it. A grandfather. New dads will likely look at this list amidst the chaos of welcoming a newborn into their lives and say, yeah, right, that's a really daunting list. But my response is that you have time to develop and grow along with your children. You're both on lifelong learning journeys together. I also want to constructively admit, using constructive vulnerability, that I have personal failings as a father. I am by no stretch of the imagination perfect. Have I steadfastly adhered to my own advice? No. Am I committed to a journey of continuous improvement as a father? Absolutely. For my two boys who are now grown men, thank you for showing me what unconditional love means. My chest swells with pride and admiration whenever I think about the strong, confident individuals that you've become. Everybody have fun this weekend with your family. Relish all the silly and sappy Father's Day cards, coffee mugs, socks and ties. Remember that being a dad is the most important role that you'll play in this life. I wish you all grace, dignity and compassion. My name is Andy Tempte. This is the Saturday Morning Muse. You can find the show on all the major streaming services as well as out on YouTube. Please like, subscribe, rate and most importantly, share this public good with your friends, your colleagues and your family. The show is produced by Nicholas Tempte and we'll see you next time on the Saturday Morning Museum.