What My Daughter’s High School Project Taught Me About Adult Investors
The other day, my daughter—a freshman in high school—had the “final” presentation for her class’s stock investment exercise. It spanned most of the Spring semester. While I had several issues with the project- essentially, it promoted day-trading due to the limited time and competitive nature (whoever had the highest balance at the end of the period was deemed the winner), there were numerous beneficial lessons.
An unintended effect was that students came away discussing how they could have performed better and what they would have/should have done differently- it was hindsight bias!
Noting how they could have “beat” the market, they were developing behaviors for “the next time”. They didn’t get a chance to see the effects of compounding returns; buy-and-hold strategies; dollar-cost averaging, etc. Most bought individual stocks with the hope of a huge gain in the 1st quarter.
Time, unfortunately, wasn’t on their side. Gains were minimal; some losses were pretty large.
I was quite intrigued with the project and, even though I noted a couple of BIG issues, the exercise was still far beyond what the average 15 year old is exposed to through school or at home.
I was curious to see how they (especially my daughter) approached the assignment. She’s definitely heard me “preach” on the subject of investing. But even with my obvious interest and attention, as with many adults, she put off investing her notional $10,000. Why? Other things got in the way- other assignments and activities took precedence. Perhaps the best thing I did was sit back so she could learn her own lessons.
*I did create a tracking spreadsheet for her- I couldn’t help it.
WOW #1 Their actions modeled adult behavior! We often put off investing in our future because of the perception of higher priorities.
You’d expect a room full of teenagers to be experimenting, guessing, maybe even a little lost. And in some ways, they were. But what stood out to me wasn’t how different their behavior was from adults…
…it was how familiar it felt.
Students hesitated to ask questions—not because they didn’t have them, but because they didn’t want to look like they should already know the answers. Peer pressure and the fear of looking “dumb” in front of others.
They weren’t dumb. They just didn’t know how smart they were- they lacked confidence and doubt crept in.
I have a good friend that often says “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”.
WOW #2 Their perceived immaturity from lack of knowledge and life-experience modeled that of adults!
So they watched what others were doing and followed the confident voice in the room. They quietly asked what others were doing without actually asking “What are you buying and why?”
They “researched” online—scrolling, clicking, piecing together information without always knowing what to look for.
They saw the bright, shiny objects and some took the bait.
WOW #3 They winged it and went solo! Even when they had trusted agents and experienced adults (parents) nearby, they hesitated. When offered advice, many failed to follow guidance and didn't seem to understand the implications of their actions- or inaction!
S
ome avoided asking for help altogether- even from otherwise trusted individuals. Others relied on what looked polished, persuasive, or popular. The best presentation; The strongest opinion; The most convincing headline garnered attention.
Not because it was right— but because it looked good and therefore felt right.
And my biggest takeaway was...
WOW #4. Whether you’re 15 or 51, the patterns don’t change as much as we’d like to think.
We all want to feel competent. We all want to make good decisions. And sometimes, we’d rather move forward quietly than risk raising a hand and asking, “Can you help me understand this?”
That’s a huge risk to accept when we’re dealing with our future.
Investing—like many other aspects in life—doesn’t reward silence. It rewards clarity. It rewards understanding.
Clarity and understanding are gained when we display the willingness to ask better questions.
There’s also a quieter risk.
When we don’t feel confident in what we’re doing, we become more susceptible to influence. The polished ad; The compelling narrative; The perfectly packaged “opportunity.”
Which is why this matters so much—not just for us, but for the next generation.
If we want our kids to grow into thoughtful, capable investors, we have to normalize curiosity. We have to make it okay to not know. We have to show them what it looks like to seek guidance from people who prioritize education over persuasion.
We need to create an environment where all ages feel comfortable asking questions about finance and investing.
At Champion Financial Planning, that’s exactly what I strive to do.
I don’t expect clients to have all the answers when they walk in. In fact, I’d rather they have a lot of questions!
My role is to help you create a plan that you understand. You should know exactly what you own, why it’s there, and how it fits into your life—not just your portfolio.
We replace uncertainty with clarity and that builds confidence!
Because the goal isn’t just to make decisions.
It’s to make informed ones—without fear, without pressure, and without having to pretend you already know.
Confidence doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from knowing you have a place where you can ask the right questions.
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