“The best time to build lifelong money habits is when you are young. The second-best time is today.”
From the Blog · Created June 4, 2026 · Updated August 28, 2026
Practical writing for families building wealth across generations.
A child’s Social Security number is a blank credit file nobody is watching, and the fraud can run for a decade before anyone looks. The protected consumer freeze is free at all three bureaus, takes about thirty minutes, and doubles as your kid’s first lesson in how credit actually works.
Ted Benna built the 401(k) in 1981 and now says it fails the workers who need it most. Where the coverage gap actually sits, why the 2027 Saver’s Match skips your teenager, and the four accounts your children can open without an employer.
Schwab found 70% of teens are interested in investing — and the ones who are name AI, video games and social media. Don’t lecture the enthusiasm away. The 80/20 core-and-explore split that turns a hot stock pick into an actual education.
Six studies across the US, Canada, the UK and Australia found the same gap: families are having the money conversations and skipping the practice. The headline numbers, and where to read the full research.
The same bill that created Trump Accounts doubled the 529’s K-12 limit to $20,000, made homeschooling and career credentialing qualified expenses, and made 529A ABLE rollovers permanent. What changed, and why the 15-year clock says open one today.
All 18 state tax-free weekend dates and price caps, 49 teacher, first responder and military discount programs, what rebates and cash back are actually worth chasing, and where to find free school supplies. Updated through the season.
The average family will spend $864 per K–12 child this season. A five-step budget that actually holds — and how to hand your kids a real allocation so the trade-offs they make become the lesson.
A post promising tax-free wealth through a trust, an LLC, and business credit lines keeps crossing our feed. What each step actually does, where the danger hides, and the boring plan that beats it.
529, Trump Account, custodial Roth IRA, teen brokerage — 2026 has more kids’ account options than ever. The order to layer six accounts from birth to 18, and the single job each one does.
Teen hiring is the weakest it has been since 1948 — but for the kid who earns anything this summer, scarcity makes that money rarer, not less useful. How a summer paycheck (or a babysitting cash box) becomes a custodial Roth IRA and a 50-year head start.
SECURE 2.0 lets up to $35,000 of unused 529 funds roll into your child’s Roth IRA tax-free — and the 15-year clock starts the day you open the account, not the day you fund it. Here’s why that changes the math on opening one at birth.
Even a $130,000 family is falling behind as groceries outrun paychecks — while households that own stocks pull further ahead. The case for owning the whole market through a low-cost S&P 500 index fund, and why it matters most for your kids.
The provider list is finally set and the IRS Form 4547 election is live — Trump Accounts open July 4 with a $1,000 government seed, yet nearly 80% of eligible families still haven’t claimed it. The two-step plan to be ready on day one, plus how the account fits alongside a 529 and a custodial Roth IRA.
Every dollar your teen earns this summer unlocks custodial Roth IRA space that can compound tax-free for 50 years — and it expires at year-end if unused. The playbook our family uses, including the parent match and a free income tracker.
For the first time, through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the federal government is seeding an investment account for newborns. The free $1,000 government deposit is the headline. The decisions you make around it are what actually matter.
Fidelity Youth, Schwab Teen Investor, or a traditional UTMA custodial account? The real decision isn't the features — they're nearly identical — it's who owns the account and how much control you keep. A side-by-side comparison for families.
A practical family debt-payoff method built on modified Ramsey Baby Steps — snowballs, blizzards, and avalanches, plus a debt-reduction spreadsheet you can run with your spouse each month.
From piggy banks to first investments — teaching children that money is earned, saved, and grown. A practical guide to building financial literacy early.
Expanded content on core financial concepts
Many of our most substantial pieces live in the Financial Education section, where they're organized into a complete curriculum. You may also find helpful deep-dives on specific topics there.