Raising kids will stretch you, but it doesn’t have to wreck your wallet. I’ve got three of my own, and I can tell you, it’s not the kids that get expensive. It’s the decisions we make around them. According to national data, families spend approximately $27,000 on education-related costs between preschool and high school. That…
No one wants to be told no. Of course that’s true. But parents forget it. Little kids spend the first few decades constantly told no. Why? It’s easy for parents to say no. We have a rule in our house. If you can not justify the no, then you should say no. This started when…
As parents, it’s our job to teach kids how money works because most schools won’t. It’s not just about saving, it’s about earning, spending, and thinking clearly in a world that pushes people to overspend. Nearly half of teens (48%) say they’re learning about investing through social media. According to a recent survey, platforms like…
Money matters, no doubt. But if you can’t cook a meal, change a tire, or hold a halfway decent conversation, all that budgeting won’t get you far. According to recent research, 18% of secondary school students have low life skills, 33% are stuck at average, and only 16% hit a high level. Most are growing…
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I put a lot of thought into what life lessons to teach our kid. I was in my late 30s and stewing over how old I would be as they grew up. I kept thinking, if I die while they are young what do I want…
Teaching financial skills early isn’t optional anymore, it’s essential. Kids are surrounded by ads, digital payments, and peer pressure before they even hit middle school. If they don’t learn how money works now, they’ll pay for it later, literally. Here are simple, real-life ways to teach kids how money really works and build lifelong financial…
Every business, no matter how large or small, can be compared to a lemonade stand. This simple concept has been the foundation for teaching my son, who is now 8 years old, about money. Ever since he was 4, he has been setting up his lemonade stand, and over the years, it has grown more…
Not long ago, dads taught their kids the basic life skills needed to get through everyday adult life. Some were taught directly, others were picked up through observation and repetition at home. Now, many of those basics are missing, and young adults are paying real money for skills that used to be free. A recent…
School taught how to find “X” but not how to find a job. We memorized dates, passed tests, and sat through lectures, yet the stuff we actually needed? Not on the syllabus. A national poll found that 49% of Gen Z students don’t feel school is preparing them for the future. That’s nearly half of…
I want to be a good dad and I try hard to be one. It’s not easy but I try to be present. I love my kids and my wife very much. Nearly my entire motivation for wanting to retire early is to have time to spend with them, and to just be present. That’s…
Kids aren’t too young to understand money, they’re just not being shown how it actually works. Most schools don’t teach it, and most parents wait too long. But the truth is, kids are more than capable of earning, saving, and building smart habits early. Money lessons don’t have to be boring or complicated. They can…
You ever meet someone who just gets how money works, even at a young age? That’s not luck. That’s parenting. Wealthy parents don’t just hand over cash, they hand over mindset, habits, and systems that shape how their kids see work, money, and life. So what do children of wealthy parents learn that most kids…
Some people hear me say I’m a third-generation self-made millionaire and a third-generation early retiree, and they instantly question it. They assume I had a head start. They assume “self-made” must mean something different when your parent’s and grandparents are millionaires. I get it. I would question it too. It makes sense to think it doesn’t…
Raising financially savvy kids starts with little lessons that help them understand value, patience, and sharing. This year, Halloween brought us the perfect opportunity to have fun while teaching some financial basics. With my 7-year-old son and 5-year-old twins, we had more candy than we could handle after several trunk-or-treats and Halloween night itself. Here’s…
There’s a reason life feels harder than it used to. It’s not just inflation or rent, it’s the fact that a lot of people reach adulthood without learning the basic life skills to actually be an adult. Boomers and schools dropped the ball on passing down essential life skills for young adults, and now we’re…
Raising kids isn’t what makes life expensive. The choices we make around them do. Most of the stress isn’t from parenting. It’s from money decisions that never made sense in the first place. Why should you listen to me? I’m a Chartered Financial Analyst who retired at 42. I also have three young kids, so…
