A 12 Year-Old Steals The Show

Hi Scott,

I am 12 years old and I have dysgraphia and ADD. My dad has been doing Barefoot for 12 months and now we are able to go to Bali for a holiday ... just me and him. My grandma has promised $25,000 to me from an inheritance she received from her uncle. I want to invest it in shares but Grandma keeps telling me they are too risky. How can I convince her to put some of the money into shares instead of the bank? What can I say to her to let me invest even a little bit? I have saved $600 on my own already!

Corey

Hi Corey,

I have to admit I didn’t know what dysgraphia was, so I googled it:

“Dysgraphia can appear as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper.”

Dude, you’re doing great!

Seriously, I’ve employed people way older than you who can’t express themselves half as well as you can.

You need to use those communication skills to help educate your grandmother.

Ask her about all the tough times that have happened in history: the wars, the depression, recessions, and financial crashes.

Well, over the past 120 years, the Aussie share market has returned, before inflation, a 10% per year return.

Next, go to the ASIC MoneySmart website’s compound interest calculator:

Type in $25,000 and then 10% for the return, which, over the past 120 years, is the long-term (pre-inflation) return that Aussie shares have achieved.

When you’re 30 (18 years) that $25k could be worth $140,000.

By the time you’re 60 (48 years) that $25k could be worth $2.5 million.

She’ll be one proud grandma.

Scott