Teens Discover the Possibility of Financial Freedom

"Are we educating teenagers to dream their biggest dreams and then make them come true?" asks a local high school teacher, Jill Suskind. "For example, do teenagers know how to organize and think about money so it will grow and work for them?" Suskind has discovered in her high school classroom that teens WANT this education. Together in class, they've learned that dispelling limiting beliefs about money frees young people to be excited about creating their future successes in all areas of school and life. Suskind's students are reading and writing about making money work. Her colleagues find them bringing new-found energy, optimism, and power to all areas of school and life.

The inspiration for bringing this topic to her class came in November, 2006, when Suskind attended T. Harv Eker's Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar on the psychology of money. The seminar is designed to have participants identify attitudes, thought patterns, and the resultant behaviors that work together to produce their current net worth. This program begins the journey of transforming limiting thoughts and feelings into ones of empowerment that lead to financial freedom. Unbound by old ideas and versions of "money is hard to make and grow," participants leave the seminar with something new to share. Suskind shared her new thinking with her students and has developed a curriculum to continue their journey. They too are breaking out of constraining ideas about what kinds of lives they can have. Out of these lessons, they are developing strategies that will pay for their college, take them on grand vacations, and expand their dreams of success in all areas!

To begin, Suskind asks them to write about why they will become millionaires: the lifestyle they will buy, the contribution they will make for the greater good of humanity, and how they will develop personally in order to achieve this kind of freedom. Students' response to this assignment was amazing! One student, Thomas, wrote, for example, "...to become a millionaire, I will have to become more focused, get my priorities straight, and pull my grades up. It will take a lot of hard work but it's worth it."

Suskind shares, "Ultimately, this assignment has not been about money. Students see that how they are about money is the same as how they are about school. Habits and attitudes are the most reliable predictors of the results they produce in many areas of their lives. Recognizing that these ideas can be transformed has been very empowering for students."

Next, Suskind has developed an independent reading assignment. Many students chose books like Suze Orman: The Laws of Money, The Pursuit of Happyness, Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Money for Teens. Then, as part of a reflective writing process they write in dialectical journals. Susan reflected in her journal, "Value what you have now...if you choose to live in the past, you will not have a (different) future." Within a few weeks, several students shared that they were now reading their second and third books on the subject of money. It turns out, teens are really eager to begin their journey toward financial freedom.

One student wrote:
"I will be glad that I learned good money skills at the age I am right now because this is the time when people decide who they will become. This is the time when most people start to make and spend money, and learning good money skills at this age will help me keep money, invest it, and not have to worry about it later."

Another student shared:
"Most millionaires...are philanthropic members of society who donate funds to support schools, hospitals, and charitable foundations. ...Most people hold romantic notions of 'comfortable poverty' and 'modest simplicity' simply as a rejection of the culture built around the concept of extravagantly wealthy (as snobbish, stupid, and lazy people)" (Sammy).

Suskind says, "For teenagers, it's easy to see that these notions arise among those with less money as a way to express resentments and to blame others for what they themselves haven't accomplished. It is as if money has something to do with what people deserve, rather than just a concrete goal some people and not others have chosen to accomplish. I think teenagers are ready to hear ideas that make sense to them and that empower them--that make available all the possibilities of life, no matter what their circumstances." Suskind finds this very promising for her students and rewarding as a teacher.

Suskind's insightful student, Stephanie, reflects that she's eager to think about the"...freedom one receives from financial independence...the memories you could create with the people you love...through adventures and experiences that can enrich one's life, adventures impossible to obtain without money."

When Suskind asked about personal qualities that one would need to develop to grow into a millionaire, a student wrote, "I would have to become responsible, hardworking, and dedicated..." Another student, Karla, said she would need to become "more focused on my goals... and on how to help other people and less self-centered... And in that way, I shall become exactly who I want to be."

Out of these successes in her classroom, Ms. Suskind has created and now offers teens in the greater Boston area a program called WealthQuest for Teens. Participants of WealthQuest develop a brilliant relationship with money that allows them to dream of and begin to create a comfortable lifestyle. The curriculum she's developed will help young people to shape their philanthropic goals, set and accomplish personal goals, and learn basic principles of growing wealth. Suskind's goal is to "leave them bursting with the thrill of being wildly successful in all areas!!" Her program is designed to inspire teens to take on financial freedom now and make it an on-going lifestyle choice. A core part of the program is identifying dreams. Participants make commitments to making a difference in the world beyond themselves. Through guided reflection students discover ways they will have to develop themselves to make this happen. The promise of the program is a lasting and notable breakthrough in the area of money that will show up in all areas of their lives.

About Jill Suskind

Jill Suskind, M.Ed., has 21 years of experience teaching in public schools, in addition to many years of extensive training and experience in leadership and life coaching. She facilitates WealthQuest for Teens, a 3-hour program for teenagers in the Boston area. For more information on her programs and courses, please contact Ms. Suskind at info@wealthquestforteens.com or www.wealthquest.com. Ms. Suskind is thrilled to be offering this program for the community at large.