Hello There,

Can you believe there are only a handful of months left of this year?

Welcome to this week’s edition of Mini Millionaires. 

It’s been great to learn how to earn, how to be a smart spender, the value of saving for something big, and sharing the love with those less fortunate than ourselves, but now it’s time to put our money to work.

This week we’re talking about: How to teach kids about investing, which, if you’ve been along for the journey for a while, you’ll know is our 4th Jar, which is Sow. 

Let’s dive in.

Most (ok, maybe all) kids think money is to be spent on cool stuff.

Some realise it’s also for things like groceries, electricity, running water etc.

Some may know it can also be saved up for something big (hopefully one of the lessons they’d have learnt with their parents reading Mini Millionaires).

But investing opens up a whole new way of thinking: that money can actually work for you. Quietly growing in the background while you play, sleep, or do your homework. 

This week’s edition breaks it down simply to help your kids become confident mini investors.

Investors think like owners, not shoppers

Kids are bombarded by messaging that says: buy more, want more, spend now. 

And the concerning thing is, younger children are not able to differentiate between entertainment and advertising. So we’re raising a generation of shoppers.

But investing teaches kids they can be owners of the brands they love by owning shares in those companies. And it’s the difference between “Can I have that?” and “Can I be part of that?” One ends with a purchase. The other starts a journey.

Takeaway: Ask: “What if you could own part of that company, rather than simply buying one of its products?”

Make “sowing” money a normal rhythm

Saving feels safe. Spending feels fun. But investing? 

That’s about putting money aside without touching it (sometimes for years), and letting time do the work.

Introduce them to the fourth jar: Sow. (Pssst. We unpacked all 4 Jars in this edition of Mini Millionaires.)

Like planting a seed, your child adds a small amount each week towards long-term growth. You can secretly track and grow its value (e.g., 10% monthly interest) and reveal the surprise after a few months.

Takeaway: Some money isn’t for now, it’s not even for now-now, but for later-later.

Make investing visible with a “Watch It Grow” board

Investing can feel abstract. So make it visible. 

Together, choose a few well-known companies your child recognises. Think Nike, Apple, Checkers, or even Roblox. Draw up a board or poster with the company, the date, and pretend amount invested.

Once a month, check how those stocks are doing. You can use Google Finance for this - even for SA stocks. Mark changes with arrows, emojis, or coloured stars. No real money needed, just curiosity and conversation.

Takeaway: Turn investing into a game they can see, touch and track.

We created this free printable to help kids see how investing works in action, with brands they already know and love.

Here’s how it works: your child picks a company like Nike, Apple, or Checkers, then “invests” an imaginary R100. Each month, you check the real stock price together and track whether it’s gone up or down using the template.

It’s simple, visual, and turns investing into something they can actually touch and track.

Bonus tip: You can speed it up by using past data weekly instead of waiting a full 6 months!

Print multiple copies to track more than 1 stock and combine them at the end of the 6 months to see how their “portfolio” performed.

We’re Elijah and Danei, the co-founders of Fintr and proud money nerds. We didn’t grow up talking about money (unless it was stressful), so we taught ourselves. Now? We build games like FinMaster and Fintr4Schools to give kids money superpowers.

With backgrounds in engineering, entrepreneurship, and education, we’ve helped everyone from factory workers to families get confident about money. Mini Millionaires is our way of bringing that mission home.

Through fun, play-first learning, we help parents spark better money conversations early, often, and with joy. Because when kids understand money, they don’t fear it and use it wisely.

Got something on your mind? Talk to us.

Last week’s poll was: ‘How you earned your first money as a kid?’ and chores, tutoring, babysitting and odd jobs secured the bag.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🧼 Washing cars

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🍪 Selling baked goods

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🧺 Chores at home

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🛍️ Helping out at a family business

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 📚 Tutoring / babysitting / odd jobs

What you said: 

“We had a printed-out calendar on the fridge - very simple, nothing as fancy as this week's Chore Tracker - but I digress. On it, my parents would write what extra chores I had done and what that month's pocket money would be. BUT, I got penalised for NOT doing certain non-negotiables, like making my bed and picking up dog doodoo. Hard lessons at times.”

Hahaha. Never mind smart spending. We’re sure there was some “smart earning” happening there as well. Completing a big extra chore cancelled out the loss of not picking up dog doodoo…

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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