Intro to the “Money Smart Teen” Series!

Welcome to my Money Smart Teen series!

This blog is the introduction to a series I’m going to write about making and managing money as a teen – Money Smart Teen.

In this series I’m going to be talking about how I started making money at 9 years old, what I’ve learned in those 4 years, and what I’m still learning today! Learning about money and how to manage it when you’re young can help you become financially secure in the future, and that’s important to me. With this series, I hope I can show young people like me how they can start being money-smart no matter their age.

For the past few years, I’ve had a tiny business selling art. I make most of my money from it when I go to annual children’s business fairs. I’ve also recently started investing the money I’ve made. You’ll hear a lot more about this in future blogs. 

In December, I came up with 2 financial goals I want to accomplish by the end of 2024, and they are to start selling my art online and double my money. Here is the website where I’ll be selling my art. It’s still under construction though! So come back soon, to check it out when it’s ready!

In this series, I’ll be sharing with you what I’m doing to reach those goals.

Becoming Money Smart at 13 

Money making is not something teens like me think about a lot. I am 13 years old, and just like most kids out there, I have all my needs provided to me by my parents. I am comfortable. Money is not something I think about often. Yet, the money issues and the fear of not having enough to be safe and secure have been lingering in my head for a while. In our house, we often talk about money and how to be money-smart – as an adult and also as a kid. I have been asked hard questions about my future and the visions I have for it. All of that made me think more about where I want to be when I’m in my twenties and beyond. 

Why is the Money Smart Teen concept important to me?

I want to learn about money because I want to live a comfortable and secure life in the future as an adult. I don’t want to grow up and go into the world and get a job and then not really know what I want to do with money, or what I should do to be successful. I want to be able to earn and manage money in a way that will make me successful and secure financially. When I think about money I feel both excited and anxious. Wondering about what jobs I’ll have in the future and if I’ll make enough money to live comfortably – stuff like that makes me pretty nervous. The thought that I might someday be stuck with a job I don’t like, struggling to make enough money, and no longer being taken care of by my parents makes me feel pretty scared. but thinking about how maybe I will be successful can be a little exciting too. So, with all that in mind and with all the help I am getting from the adults in my life, I have decided to be money-smart right now. I don’t want to wait until I am older to learn about it.

Do you think I can become a millionaire by 21!?

Last year on my birthday, I was given a challenge – to become a millionaire by age 21. The last time I counted all the money I made from my business, plus some I got for Christmas and B-days I had nowhere near a million, but overall it’s a good start. So, do you think I could become a millionaire by 21? Do you have some good advice? Please share if you do! 

How can you help your teen become money-smart right away?

There are many resources out there about how to become a money smart teen (or even pre-teen. haha). The truth is it is not about just watching YouTube videos or reading money books but about doing. The small steps you can start doing now are what really counts. There is a great homeschool financial literacy curriculum from Tuttle Twins. Even if you are not homeschooling you can use it. They teach all the basics (and beyond) that young people (and adults) should know about money. If you decide to purchase this curriculum using the link in my post I will get a small kickback on the purchase. And that will go towards my investing goals!

Come back soon!

I hope all that I listed above made you a little more curious about all the things young people can start doing to become money-smart. Stop by soon to read my next post. You can always subscribe by clicking here, that way you won’t miss my next articles. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again as I progress on my money-making adventure!

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