Sunday, April 9, 2017 | Bowie, MD

This Sunday, my brother Ashté and I hosted a Money 101 class, intended to teach teenagers about money, banking, credit, taxes, budgeting, and investing. All of the things that should be taught in school but inexplicably aren’t. We want them to know what we didn’t at that age.

But let me stress: we are by no means financial advisors or certified financial planners. We are just adults who, like most of us, learned about money the hard way.  We are striving for generational wealth and financial independence and this class is just the first step.

Parents brought their 17 and 19-year-olds to the pilot class and stayed the whole time.  We talked about different ways to acquire money, both good and bad, how most people start earning by trading time for wages and how there are better ways to earn. We talked about taxes, tax brackets and exemptions. We talked about spending, saving, donating and investing. We talked about building good credit.

It was awesome. The kids listened intently and were amazed at how much goes into budgeting. They asked questions about real estate, learned how to view finances on an annual basis and side-eyed credit card companies for wanting you to only pay the minimum balance. In addition, parents were given the opportunity to share what they wish they’d learned when they were teenagers as well. Everyone learned something new!

Money 101 was initially scheduled for 2 hours but ended up lasting 3 hours because of questions asked and the time it took to complete the budgeting exercise. The kids are already asking for Money 102.

I’m so, so, so, so happy that we were able to do this and really can’t wait to do it again.  People already seem to be interested in another so I’ll keep you posted! In the meantime, what do you wish you knew about money when you were a teenager?

-Insana