Why I Created Start with $5: Investing for Kids
(And the story that started years before the course ever existed)
Our daughter was 4 years old when we unofficially started homeschooling.
I know. I know. It was early. It didn’t “count” as school yet. But she was ready. She wanted worksheets. She wanted books. She wanted to play school all day. She constantly asked questions and genuinely loved learning. We couldn’t keep enough activities in front of her.
So we leaned in. And somewhere during those early years, I started looking for ways to teach life alongside academics. One of those things was money. I wanted her to understand money differently than I did growing up. Because the truth is…I grew up not knowing much about money.
I grew up in a trailer. Nobody sat me down and explained budgeting. Nobody taught me investing.
Nobody explained ownership. Nobody talked about compound growth or building wealth or creating options.
Money felt more like something you survived than something you learned. And I don’t say that with shame.
It’s just true.
So when we became parents, I knew I wanted to change that part of our story. Not because I wanted to raise rich kids. But because I wanted to raise capable kids.
Kids who understood that money isn’t scary. Kids who understood that money is a tool.
Kids who knew they had choices.
So we started early.
We did chores. They earned money. We made little handmade envelopes. We had jars.
Give.
Save.
Spend.
If you know… you know.
Eventually we found and completed Dave Ramsey’s FPU Jr. And we loved parts of it.
It gave us language. It gave structure. It helped us start conversations.
But afterward…
I kept feeling like something was missing. We were teaching how to earn. We were teaching how to give.
We were teaching how to save. We were teaching how to spend. But I kept asking…..
When do kids learn to build?
When do kids learn ownership?When do they learn that money doesn’t only leave you… sometimes it can work with you?
At first, I didn’t even realize what I was searching for. I just knew I wanted more.
Then life changed. Over the years, we added three more kids to the bunch. And while we kept teaching the same things—earning, giving, saving, spending—our life was changing too. Our family started opening restaurants. And I remember having this moment where I thought…..
Oh. Wait. I’m not just teaching my kids money. I need to teach them ownership too.
Because owning something changes the way you think. When you own, you notice things differently.
You notice systems. You notice leadership. You notice service. You notice that every decision matters.
You stop only asking:
“How much does this cost?”
And start asking:
“How is this built?”
“How does this work?”
“How do we create value?”
“How do we serve people?”
“How do we build something that outlives us?”
And I realized…I didn’t want our kids to only understand how to earn money.
I wanted them to understand how to build. Not because everyone should own a business.
Not because success only looks one way. But because ownership teaches responsibility.
It teaches stewardship. It teaches initiative. It teaches that you can create—not just consume.
This year, our family will open our 8th restaurant. And I want to say this carefully……it’s not because we’re especially talented.
It’s not because we had everything figured out. And definitely not because we’re better than anyone else.
But because God has been kind to us. And given us each and every restaurant to use for His glory. We get to do this! Because He’s opened doors. Because He’s sustained us. Because He’s grown us through trials and tribulations!
And because somewhere along the way, I realized:
If our kids are growing up watching businesses being built…then I want them to understand what they’re actually seeing. Not just buildings. Not just food. Not just income.
But vision. Risk. Service. Leadership. Ownership.
And something else happened. I started realizing every child approaches money differently.
Some naturally save. We have two of those.
Some spend. We have two of those.
Some dream.
Some build.
Some want security.
Some want freedom.
Teaching all four of our kids showed me something: Money isn’t just math.
It’s behavior. It’s habits. It’s identity.
And I started realizing there weren’t many resources that felt like what I wanted. I wanted something simple.
Something hands-on. Something that didn’t feel overwhelming. Something for kids who move.
Who build.
Who ask questions.
Who don’t necessarily want pages and pages of writing.
Something that introduced investing in a way that felt approachable. Not “become a stock market expert.”
Just….learn what ownership means. Learn that investing exists.
Learn that you can participate. Learn that building can start small.
That idea eventually became Start with $5: Investing for Kids.
Not because every child needs an investment account.
Not because kids need to memorize financial terms.
But because I wanted to create something I wish we had when our daughter was 4 years old sitting at the table asking for one more worksheet.
A way to move from:
Earn → Give → Save → Spend
To also understanding:
Invest → Build
Because maybe the goal isn’t raising kids who know everything.
Maybe the goal is raising kids who understand:
Money is a tool. Ownership changes how you think.
Building takes time. Small choices compound.
And they are capable of creating more than they realize.
Maybe…
it starts with $5.
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Built for More | Shelly Young
Teaching kids to Earn • Give • Save • Invest • Spend • Build