Bonjour Barefoot!

Hello Scott,

I am a French mum of four. I learned about you through a podcast of a young lady who calls herself Madame Fauchée (fauchée in French means broke!). So I wanted to buy your two books. But it is impossible to get them in France, so I bought your mp3s and listened while riding my bike to work. Your books are so interesting! I wish I had read them earlier. Now I would like to get my sons into them — particularly my youngest, who is 16. Is it still possible to do the Barefoot family with a 16-year-old? Finding a job at this age is not easy in France, especially at this time of Covid.

Merci, Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,

Frais!

(My son is learning French at school at the moment and he tells me that means ‘cool’!)

In Australia I’ve been piloting a program in high schools for students who are the same age as your son.

The program is called ‘The Bucket List’ and it involves students saving up for something on their bucket list (it could be a bike, travel, or moving out — whatever chews their croissant).

The way they get their money is by working (a key lesson!), at which point most kids fold their arms and say “There aren’t any jobs!” (It’s not just a French thing). However, there’s always work for teenagers, (because they’re cheap!). The trouble is, most don’t apply, or put in much effort.

So I get kids to do my Zero to Hero Résumé (which is also in my Barefoot Investor for Families book). The aim is to get them to write down positive things about themselves and learn how to sell themselves at a job interview. For your son, the aim is to have him earn his own money, set up his Barefoot buckets straight away, and start saving for a goal. You want him to get that feeling of winning, quickly.

Another challenge from the Bucket List program is to get your son to help you cut the costs of your household bills by negotiating a cheaper energy or phone provider. You could even offer to pay him a commission.

Here’s the end game: most parents complain about their teenagers — they’re lazy, they sleep all the time, and they have no idea about money or the real world.

I want you to brag about your son while he’s in earshot — how good he is at saving you money, how hard a worker he is, and how he wants to get a part-time job. He may act like he’s not hearing you, but he will take it in.

Au revoir!

Scott.