Hi,

It’s time for this week’s edition of Mini Millionaires.

(Also, have you noticed our new look? What do you think?)

It’s been an amazing journey so far, and we’ve enjoyed hearing from you about your mini millionaires’ journey. Let us know if there’s a specific smart money lesson you and your family would like to dive into. We love hearing from you.

In this week’s edition, we’re talking about the eighth wonder of the world and how you can teach your kids about it.

So let’s get this week’s edition of Mini Millionaires: How to teach kids about compound interest.

Even as adults, the concept of compound interest can be hard to grasp.

Most of us only really wrap our heads around it after we’ve missed out on its magic. And it usually comes with a side helping of: “Why didn't I start sooner?”.

The idea that something tiny can snowball into something huge, given enough time, doesn’t quite fit with how our brains work - we tend to think in straight lines, even when things move exponentially.

Teaching kids to value patience, repetition, and long-term thinking gives them a superpower most adults are still figuring out. By starting today, not only will they understand compound interest, but they’ll also be able to use it to their advantage.

Small things become big things over time.

Compound interest is often called “the eighth wonder of the world” because it feels magical. 

It’s the difference between adding and multiplying.

Psychologists call this the exponential growth bias: the tendency to underestimate compound growth processes. This bias is evident in how people consistently misjudge things like investment returns and even debt accumulation, assuming that growth will stay steady, when in reality it accelerates.

So, imagine the edge a child gets by learning to trust growth over time. The real lesson here? You don’t need to start big. You just need to start early and stick with it.

Takeaway: Help kids see that time and consistency can be more powerful than size or speed.

Practice saving regularly.

The best way to show kids how money grows is to let them grow it themselves. 

Instead of waiting for one “big” amount to save, encourage them to put aside a small bit regularly.

By making saving feel normal and doable early on, we train them to think long-term. Watching even tiny amounts grow helps reinforce the mindset that “a little now” can lead to “a lot later.” It’s the habit that builds the muscle.

It builds a long-term savings mindset and gives kids ownership over their own growth.

Takeaway: Normalise small, consistent saving to show how growth works.

Try the R1 doubling challenge.

Want to show your mini millionaire what compound interest feels like? 

Ask them the question: “Would you rather get R 1’000 today, or R1 that doubles every day for 30 days?” and then do the math together (or use a calculator). 

The final number? 

Over R500 million. 

Pretty crazy, right?

The numbers only start getting impressive after Day 21, when it breaks the R1 million mark! 

This story (often told with a chessboard and grains of rice) is a brilliant, visual way to demonstrate compounding. The guys at Fynbos created this really cool calculator to help showcase the growth potential of compound interest in a tax-free savings account (TFSA). We'll cover TFSA in future editions.

Takeaway: Make compounding real with a challenge they’ll never forget.

This week’s free downloadable resource is the Go & Grow Compounding template.

It’s a powerful visual tool to help you illustrate the magic of compound interest.

It shows how small monthly savings can grow into big amounts over time, and why starting early matters. 

See what can happen with a monthly contribution of R5, R10, R20, R50, or R100, by the time they turn 30 (if they started contributing at the age of 8). It even includes an example of R3’000 for parents contributing to a kid's TFSA.

Use it to start a conversation about saving, set a family goal, or just show your mini millionaire what’s possible with consistency.

Fintr4Schools is a gamified learning platform that makes money skills fun, sticky, and unforgettable.

Aligned with the CAPS EMS curriculum and backed by a 93% pedagogical rating from the Education Alliance Finland, it transforms financial literacy into a comic-style adventure. 

Students battle money villains, unlock their financial superpowers, and build habits that last a lifetime by learning the fundamentals of value creation, entrepreneurship, and smart money management.

There’s just one question that needs answering: Are you ready to bring Fintr4Schools to your classroom?

Last week, we asked: “When did you learn to compare prices”? Looks like when you had your own money, was key to landing the lesson.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🧒 Before age 10 (thanks, Mom or Dad).

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👶 Late teens (once it was my money).

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🛒 In the supermarket aisles with my own kids.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💸 After a few too many regretful splurges.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤷 Still working on it, to be honest.

What you said: 

“Love me a nice lil bargain shop to stretch the family budget. These days, being able to see pretty much everything online and in app makes it really quick and easy.”

And probably also help to minimise those impulse buys of sweets at the tills, hey?

“I figured out that if I buy jelly babies, the sugar could sustain me longer than actual food. Therefore, I could save the food money I was given on trips for other things!”

Everyone else out here playing checkers while you're playing 4D chess.

What’s the mindset, habit, or tip you want to try this week?

What worked, what didn’t? Or is there something that’s got you and your mini millionaire excited? 

We’d love to get your thoughts, so hit reply to this email and let us know what's on your mind.

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