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, “Here’s how to make $1,000 flipping old properties,” or “This is how millionaires save and invest.”
Most of them skipped from step 1 to step 10, leaving out the hard parts in the middle, but they sparked great conversations between us. I’d sit down with him, explain what was true, what was missing, and how those strategies actually worked in the real world.
One reel made something click, and he wanted to take action
One day, he sent me a reel explaining how saving $100 a month as a teen could eventually grow to over a million dollars, thanks to compound interest. He asked, “Is this real?”
I told him, “Yes, it’s absolutely real.” It’s one of the most powerful financial tools you can use, especially when you start early. His quickly asked, “Can you help me set this up?”
The author says her son makes money by working multiple jobs, including refereeing youth sports games.
Courtesy of Chris Rosenberg
We consulted a professional
I suggested we meet with a financial planner so he could put his plan into action. We prepped for the meeting together, discussing his goals and a formed a few questions he wanted to ask. He scheduled the meeting with a local financial planner I knew from our community networking group, and then walked in and ran the whole thing himself.
During the meeting, I sat in the corner as a silent observer. Although I was once licensed and worked in wealth management, I wanted him to own this — and he did.
I appreciated that the advisor treated him like any other client. She asked about his income, goals, and risk tolerance. She explained the time value of money, investment options, and how different savings levels would grow over time. She showed him historical market performance and used conservative estimates in a financial calculator to walk him through the actual numbers. He asked smart questions, listened closely, and together they built a plan for him.
He was the decision-maker, and that made all the difference
Soon after the meeting, the advisor sent over the final documents for my son to look over and outlined the next steps. Although I also had to sign them since he is a minor, he made all the decisions.
With her guidance and his input, they structured a plan where he’d invest a large portion of his income toward retirement and future real estate goals. As he pointed out, his expenses are extremely low, so he chose to invest more and spend less for now.
That moment changed something for me. I’ve always tried to provide more for my kids than I had when I was growing up. But I realized that helping them build a financial foundation early, one that they own and drive themselves, was more powerful than anything I could do for them. The greatest gift isn’t what I give them, but what I have enabled them to build for themselves.
