High School | Teen Wealth
Shift Your Money Mindset | Grow Your Knowledge | Build Your Wealth
Subscribe to Get Free Weekly Emails to Help You Grow Your Wealth
The T.Y.M. Guide to Money in High School
The “Teaching You Money” Wealth Principles for Teens
- Shift Your Money Mindset
- Build a Foundation
- Think “Future” But Act Now
- Grind for “Free” Money (Or Any Money)
- Commit to Building Wealth
1. Shift Your Money Mindset
Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat. If you’re like most American teens, you’ve had terrible role models when it comes to money. The average American adult has $90,460 of debt. 78% of US workers live paycheck to paycheck. An emergency expense of $1,000 would push 60% of Americans into debt. Without positive role models or guidance, how are you supposed to know what to do and what not to do when it comes to money?
What’s worse, the people who actually “make it” and become wealthy don’t seem too excited about sharing their secrets about money. They love to be seen as a cool entrepreneur, influencer, or business owner – but to help others learn about money? That seems to be asking too much.
To begin the process of becoming wealthy, you first need to get rid of everything you think you know about money. Chances are, you’ve learned from people who don’t have it figured out themselves – which isn’t exactly helpful. I’m sure you’ve seen celebrities or influencers flaunting their money. You’ve seen car commercials, billboards for bank rates, etc. You most likely have a lot of feelings about money that are founded in what society wants you to believe.
We started Teaching you money to help you Shift Your Money Mindset. We’re here to help you sift through the mountains of bad advice and become wealthy on your own terms. To do that, you’ll need to forget everything you think you know about money, and be ready to learn what real wealth looks like and how to obtain it.
2. Build a Foundation
If you’re actively working to forget everything you think you know about money, then it’s important to follow that step up with creating a strong foundation for your future.
Think of it like this, there’s an old house that has a lot of issues. You do the work to tear that house down. But if you don’t start building a new house, the space will start growing weeds, attracting garbage, and becoming undesirable once again.
Once you’ve gotten rid of the undesirable “money house” in your brain, you’ll need to start building a new “money house.” My hope is that this becomes your “Money Mansion.” You’re replacing the bad with the good, and doing it as much as possible to keep any bad advice or societal expectations from ever coming back.
Through our e-mail content, blog, and YouTube channel, we’ll consistently be working to help you build a strong money foundation to enhance your financial future.
3. Think “Future” But Act Now
Don’t have much money right now? No problem. Don’t have any money right now? That’s okay.
Your job is to think about and build for the future. Your job is to build your mindset, your knowledge, and then your wealth. Our resources are here to help you build all three in that order.
Every action you take to make your future self and your future finances better is an action worth taking. At Teaching You Money, we are here to help you think about the future, but to start acting on it now.
If we’re being honest, most financial resources don’t focus on teens because they don’t think they have enough money at the moment for it to make a difference. This is ridiculous. The learning you do now matters. The actions you take now build habits that will make a HUGE difference in your future wealth.
You don’t need to have a lot of money to build a mindset around wealth, and you don’t have to be an adult to start learning what it takes to get there.
We never want you to be too hard on yourself about your current situation. Wherever you are right now financially, you have an opportunity to think “future” and take action now.
4. Grind for “Free” Money (Or Any Money)
There are a lot of opportunities out there, you just need to find them.
When I say “Free” money, I’m talking about money you are eligible for based on things you’ve already done. Filling out applications for scholarships is a good example of this. Maybe you’d like to get creative and ask all your relatives for money on your birthday to start a college fund. The idea here is that you may be able to come across money while you’re a teen that doesn’t take a real “job” to get.
Beyond the “free” money aspect, the jobs, side-gigs, or entrepreneurial endeavors you take on while in high school will take considerable effort. Your job is to grind it out. This time period of your life doesn’t need to be about making lots of money, but to start seeing money coming in figuring out what you can do with it.
As a teen, there are only so many jobs you are eligible for. Have I met teens that work at banks? Yes, I have (Hi, Sam). But it is not the norm. Typically, if you’re getting a “job” as a teenager it is a low-wage position like being a cashier at a fast-food restaurant, a lifeguard, or a desk receptionist at the local YMCA. There is no shame in having any job as a teen. Having a job at all is a success. But you may not be doing your dream job quite yet, which is why you’ll need to grind it out. Know that the way you’re making money now is not how it will always be and grind to put whatever money in your pocket you can while keeping up with all your other responsibilities as a teen.
5. Commit to Building Wealth
This is a moment for you. You can decide how you want your financial future to look. If you want to be part of the 78% of people who live paycheck to paycheck, then no need to do anything more with Teaching You Money.
However, if you want to build wealth, I’d recommend you commit to doing so right now. If you want to feel financial stability, even if you don’t know what that means or looks like for you, simply make the commitment now to achieve it.
The promises we make to ourselves can be one of the most important tools we can use to build our future. Make a commitment to yourself that you’ll do what it takes to shift your money mindset, grow your knowledge, and build your wealth.
When you make that commitment, you’ll start to see money differently.
If you’re willing to start the journey towards wealth, subscribe to our email list and YouTube channel, and we’ll help you stay on track to your financial dreams.
Teaching You Money – We Want To Help You Become Wealthy
Teaching You Money was created to help you shift your money mindset, grow your knowledge, and build your wealth.
We exist to help you financially thrive.
Join us on the path the financial freedom – subscribe below to receive weekly emails that will help you grow your wealth. Check us out on YouTube for videos every week on building and maintaining wealth.
*I am not a registered investment advisor*
