Early Life Investments
A Family Financial Head Start
“The best time to build lifelong money habits is when you are young. The second-best time is today.”
“The best time to build lifelong money habits is when you are young. The second-best time is today.”
Explore Our Financial Education Products
A practical curriculum for parents, teens, and young adults — built around the same lessons we use in our own family.
— Start Here —
Three in-depth guides covering the financial decisions that matter most at each stage of life.
Custodial accounts, 529 plans, allowance, the three-jar framework, and how to start the money conversation before it becomes urgent.
Read the GuideFirst jobs and paychecks, Roth IRA for minors, building credit, navigating student loans, and the habits that compound for life.
Read the GuideEmployer benefits, healthcare, emergency funds, buying a car and a home, family finances, and building long-term wealth.
Read the Guide— For Children —
Building the habits, values, and vocabulary of money before life gets complicated.
Money habits start early
From piggy banks to custodial accounts — the conversations and habits that give children a lifetime head start.
Start LessonWork, reward & responsibility
Teaching children that money is earned — and that some of it should always be saved before it is spent.
Start LessonPatience builds character
How to help a child set a savings goal, track progress, and feel the satisfaction of buying something they worked for.
Start LessonMoney is a tool, not a goal
Introducing the idea that some money is set aside to help others — and why that habit matters most when started young.
Start LessonThe windfall split
What to do when grandma hands over $100 — the windfall split, thank-you habits, and giving into a 529, UTMA, or Roth IRA.
Start LessonRobux, V-Bucks & the first scams
Teaching real money skills in a world where your child’s money is invisible by design.
Start Lesson— Series One —
Master the four habits that turn ordinary income into lasting wealth.
Own your money
Breaks down the importance of a budget and the key elements to making a successful one. Reviews of the top apps included.
Start LessonSnowballs, blizzards & avalanches
A practical family debt-payoff method using modified Ramsey Baby Steps, shared priorities, momentum tracking, and a spreadsheet you can update monthly.
Start LessonTeach the habits early
From piggy banks to first investments — teaching children the mindsets and practices that lead to lifetime financial security.
Start LessonPay it down strategically
Not all debt is equal. Learn which to eliminate first and how to stop the cycle before it starts.
Start LessonKeep more of what you earn
Tax-advantaged accounts, the HSA triple advantage, Traditional vs. Roth, capital gains, tax-loss harvesting, and how to use the tax code as a wealth-building tool.
Start LessonEarn more, keep more
Self-employment tax, quarterly payments, business deductions, and the retirement accounts — SEP IRA and Solo 401(k) — that turn gig income into long-term wealth.
Start Lesson— Series Two —
From your first index fund to a portfolio that compounds for forty years.
Know the rules
Investing can seem complex but the process is easier and cheaper than ever. Some basic rules will keep you happy.
Start LessonSeven rules for long-term wealth
Put your investor mindset to work. The rules, funds, and account types that build real retirement savings.
Start LessonIndex funds & allocation
Low-cost index funds, allocation models for different ages, and how to keep a portfolio on track through every cycle.
Coming soonRoth IRA, 401(k), HSA, 529
Every dollar of tax you avoid compounds for decades. The accounts every family should know — and the order to fund them.
Coming soon— The Reading List —
Every lesson on this page has a book behind it. We have read, used, and recommended each one to our own family — honest takes, no fluff. From foundational personal finance to value investing classics and books for kids.
Browse the Reading List →Want the worksheets that go with these lessons? Every lesson on the site has at least one downloadable Excel worksheet to put it into practice.Browse Worksheets