Even before he was old enough to get a traditional job, my son was making his own money. He launched businesses from a young age, such as reselling sneakers and flipping dirt bikes. He constantly talked about money and entrepreneurship.
When he turned 14 and could finally get hired where we live in Southern California, he jumped in right away. He took on multiple jobs, umpiring baseball games, refereeing youth flag football, and bussing tables at a local restaurant.
While it may sound like a lot for a 14-year-old, the commitments were less than the 30 or more hours a week he had previously dedicated to sports. After playing sports since he was 4 years old, he tole me he wanted to spend his time working and making money instead. For him, working wasn’t a burden, it was an opportunity.
Now, he’s taking the money he has earned and planning for his future.
Money has always been on his mind
Growing up in a family where his mom was previously a wealth advisor and he had uncles on both sides of the family in wealth management, my son had been overhearing (and sometimes participating in) conversations about the stock market and life insurance since he was young.
Because he was so interested in wealth creation, the content fed to him on his social media feeds was often about investing and money hacks. He’d constantly send me Instagram reels with claims like,
My Teen Picked up Investing Tips Online, Met With a Financial Planner
