Richard M. Gutkowski

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About the Author

Personal Background

Richard Gutkowski, who also writes as Matthew Rich, authors books and short primers to help parents talk effectively with teenagers about borrowing money. He focuses on making money talks comfortable, practical, and thorough, covering budgeting, credit cards, student loans, car loans, etc., to build trust and real-world skills. The first time these topics come up is a key moment in parenting, marking the beginning of teaching and guiding teens as they learn to manage money. Every parent wants to do their best.

Many parents worry about whether they are ready for this responsibility and often feel lost. To be successful, they must be well prepared. For many, encouraging in-depth discussion with their teenager is challenging, especially when it comes to topics like money and debt, which are rarely a teen's priority. Advice from experienced parents is invaluable.

Richard draws inspiration from accomplishing that with his teenage daughter. As she got older and more independent, he continued to teach her money management skills and motivated her to use them. Now, as an adult, she still turns to him for financial advice.

Understanding the requirements, steps, and basic mathematics of financial matters is essential. Learning from someone who can explain them is helpful. When he was younger, Richard lacked experience with formal borrowing and learned tough lessons. However, through his many fiscal responsibilities as a professor, he developed extensive financial acumen. He applied them to domestic needs, becoming skilled in sound money management principles and making informed borrowing decisions. Gradually, he made better decisions, managed debt more strategically, and developed discipline. Now, he shares these methods with others.

Richard is not a financial planner, but a parent and retired professor. His books are not written for adults who need professional financial planning. They focus on beginners, helping parents guide teens through first-time debt situations and fostering good money habits. Reading Richard’s books together builds trust, strengthens their relationship, and teaches key financial skills.

Richard’s books are distinguished by their combination of technical know-how, detailed explanation of realistic situations, and engaging hypothetical conversations between a fictional mom and her teenage daughter. These conversations show parents how to reach teens and teach them money skills. Teens learn by considering the daughter's questions and observing the mom's responses, gaining real-life insights into money management. Parents and teens benefit from observing how the mom and daughter make informed choices together.

Professional Background

Richard is an Emeritus Professor at Colorado State University. He spent his career teaching and advising young students at all academic levels. His fields included structural engineering and transportation engineering, with experience giving lectures and conducting workshops nationally and internationally. His commitment to mentoring and collaboration is evident throughout his academic career:

He directed a structural engineering lab and two regional transportation technology transfer centers—including one for Native American groups. He managed a local site within a regional education consortium, including a telecommunications network for distance learning. He led research projects, funded graduate student assistants, involved them in budget management, and hired many part-time undergraduate aides. In those roles, he managed multi-million-dollar budgets.

Richard has published over 160 scientific journal papers and numerous research reports. He presented many professional papers at conferences and had them published in the proceedings. He continues to review journal articles and grant applications.

Richard’s education was not only technical. While earning his undergraduate degree in civil engineering, he excelled in English literature elective courses. Once, he even filled in for a professor who was ill and asked him to teach one of his classes on novels. After retiring, Richard left engineering to pursue fiction writing. His blended fiction/non-fiction books mark the beginning of this new path.