Mindset Focus: Money is a tool, not a mystery.

• Teach Value of Money: Use allowances, chores, or small gifts to show that money is earned.
• Needs vs. Wants: Involve kids in grocery shopping and ask: “Do we need this, or do we just want it?”
• Savings Jar Method: Give three jars labeled Save, Spend, and Share. Kids divide money into them.
• Storytelling: Share simple stories about how grandparents or parents managed money to create a sense of legacy.

Tasks:
✅ Open a custodial savings account.
✅ Introduce games like Monopoly or Cashflow for Kids.
✅ Practice setting short-term goals (e.g., saving $10 for a toy).

Mindset Focus: Money has power when managed with discipline.

• Budget Basics: Teach them to track allowance or gift money with a notebook or app.
• Opportunity Cost: Show them how choosing one thing means giving up another (trade-offs).
• Family Bills Introduction: Walk them through a simplified version of a utility bill or grocery budget.

Tasks:
✅ Open a custodial checking account.
✅ Assign them a budget for back-to-school shopping.
✅ Encourage mini-entrepreneurship (selling snacks, lawn mowing, tutoring younger kids).

Mindset Focus: Money can grow, and debt can harm.

• Banking Skills: Teach how to use debit cards, ATMs, and online banking safely.
• Intro to Credit: Explain credit scores as a “financial report card.”
• Budgeting Apps: Introduce Mint, YNAB, or Greenlight cards to practice digital money management.
• Goal-Setting: Have them plan and save for a big purchase (phone, trip, clothes).

Tasks:
✅ Open a joint debit account with a parent.
✅ Create a simple budget (income, savings, expenses).
✅ Teach them to review a credit report (even if it’s a parent’s, for example only).

Mindset Focus: Financial freedom = options in life.

• First Job: Teach them to read a pay stub (taxes, deductions).
• Starter Credit: Introduce a secured credit card or co-signed card with strict limits.
• Investing Basics: Explain stocks, mutual funds, and index funds.
• Rent vs. Own: Teach the basics of housing costs and why credit matters for renting.

Tasks:
✅ Open their first credit card (secured, $300–500 limit).
✅ Start a Roth IRA or investment app (Acorns, Fidelity Youth).
✅ File taxes with guidance, not alone.

Mindset Focus: Start early, and money will work for you.

• Credit Management: Teach paying bills on time, staying below 30% of credit limit.
• Side Hustle Expansion: Encourage gig work or entrepreneurship.
• Financial Protection: Introduce insurance basics (car, health, renters).
• Networking & Mentorship: Connect with Black professionals in finance and business.

Tasks:
✅ Build 700+ credit score.
✅ Contribute regularly to savings and Roth IRA.
✅ Learn about compound interest with real numbers.
✅ Track expenses monthly.

Mindset Focus: Money isn’t just for you — it’s for legacy.

• Investing Strategy: Learn the 70/20/10 rule (70% living, 20% saving/investing, 10% giving).
• Homeownership: Understand mortgages, down payments, and house hacking.
• Business Ownership: Consider LLCs, partnerships, or family businesses.
• Generational Wealth: Learn about wills, trusts, and life insurance.

Tasks:
✅ Save for a down payment or invest in assets (stocks, real estate, business).
✅ Start estate planning early (even if modest).
✅ Teach younger siblings/cousins what they’ve learned (creating a cycle).

• Replace “18 and out” with “18 and prepared.”
• Celebrate assets owned (stocks, savings, property) as much as designer clothes or cars.
• Host family wealth meetings once a month (review goals, progress, credit, savings).
• Encourage pooling money within families for investments (buying property, funding businesses).