investing books for kids are the perfect way to introduce your child to investing (especially if you’re not sure about teaching them how to invest on your own).
Wow, I wish my parents had handed me a children’s investment book when my interests turned to making money (which it did when I was a pre-teen).
Can you imagine where my retirement account would be today if I had started at the young age of 16 instead of 23?
You are reading: Investing books for kids
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to have money (think about 15 years old). I started paying more attention to the adults in my life who I thought were “rich” and noticed that people who had money were doing something called “investing.”
I had no idea what this was, and I had no direction to invest as a kid. but things may be different for your own child!
Today, I want to help you give your own child/teenager a head start in the world of investing by gifting them one of these children’s investing books.
psst: teaching actions to high school students? You’ll want them to actively participate in a free stock market game for students, or use one of these 7 stock apps for kids. adding one of the children’s investing books below to your library will also help.
investing books for kids
I’ve been asked over and over again about children’s investment books that pique their interest in the stock market. or how to explain the stock market to a child who is already interested in investing part of her allowance (particularly when you don’t feel entirely confident about investing yourself).
Any of these kids investing books are a great way to not only get your child interested in the stock market, but also teach them some killer money strategies that will serve them well in the not too distant future.
tip: these are sorted by suggested age range.
Children’s Investment Book #1: Brother Bull and Sister Bear Go Stock Market
age range: 1st-2nd grade
brother bull (who loves things that go up and down) and sister bear (who loves things that go down and down) take a tour of the stock market, where they eventually work.
Throughout your adventure, your students will learn some fundamental things about the stock market, such as:
- the stock market is a market to help people buy and sell stocks
- stocks represent ownership of a company
- people who buy stocks they’re called investors
- the stock market can go up or down
- most stocks are traded via computers
in the end, they rename rising markets as bull markets and falling markets as bear markets, because of the great work of sister bear and brother bull.
Kids Investing Book #2: I’m a $Shareholders Bundle: Stock Basics for Kids & teenagers
age range: 7+ years
what makes this an investment kit instead of just an investment book?
When you get this for your child or teen, you get $20 off a share for them. you simply help them (because they can’t buy shares on their own, under 18) choose a share on giveashare.com, insert your coupon code and they can own a share.
psst: yes, you read that right. the kit itself is $14.95, and then you get $20 off a stock! that’s a no-brainer.
there are about 110 different stocks to choose from, many of them are companies your child will recognize, like nintendo, disney or coca-cola, and some of them still come with a paper certificate of ownership (that would be great, that your child receives a share ownership certificate).
then, they can also learn all about their new piece of stock (and investing in general) with the spiral-bound book that comes with it.
what I love about this is that the first chapter takes the child through many investment concepts, from the point of view of being a shareholder (which, now, your child can be, with your help!) . For example, stockholders often receive mail from the company they partly own, and this chapter reviews the different types of mail he may receive. other topics include dividends, trickles and more.
investing book for kids #3: investing for kids, dylin redling and allison tom
age range: 8-12 years
See Also: The 10 Best Free Ebook Creator Tools For All New Authors
This was a fun investing book, and I think your kids will find it fun too!
there are two opening chapters on money 101, making money and saving money (including teaching compound interest), something your kids will need to do before investing, and then the rest of the book explains many different investment strategies and ideas in a child friendly way.
some things I love:
- /li
- really delve into how to research a company, in a very realistic way so kids can understand
- etc.
Great read!
Kids Investing Book #4: Making Money Grow: A Complete Investing Guide for Kids, Gail Karlitz
age range: 8-12 years
This book begins with an overview of the money supply, where money is made, how it circulates, inflation, etc. By the way, don’t let these terms scare you; the author breaks it down into everyday language for your child(ren).
then moves on to savings as a very low-risk investment, before moving on to bonds and finally the children’s stock market.
I like how this book links things to the great recession that started in 2008, after your child has learned to understand the terms and such. I think this is important, as your child lived through that time and was probably confused (like many of us adults) about what was happening and why.
There are also sheets on the back to set up the growing money investment game. this gives her child(ren) a chance to implement something she just learned instead of letting it sit and forget about it several years later when they are ready to invest some money.
Children’s Investing Book #5: The Young Investor, Katherine R. batman
age range: 9+ years
What do I love about this book? the author, as a grandmother, wrote down all the things she wanted to teach her grandchildren about being comfortable with money and investment concepts. she, “…wanted them to know what people were talking about when they talked about emerging markets, rising interest rates, or consumer spending…”
This book is the result of putting this information together for his own grandchildren, and the (true) story of Billy Ray + his money poured in to show how it all works in real life.
the purpose is very clear, “…how to make your money make money”. A very good purpose indeed!
I enjoy your suggestions for activities throughout that book that really connect your child’s personal world with money and investing. like having them ride their bikes around their neighborhood and guess the structures that were built with the bond money, like hospitals, schools, and parking lots. or their suggestion to find a stock report on a favorite company they’re familiar with.
Your explanation of the stock market? it’s like a local soccer league or a major baseball league with “teams, players, and rules.”
Another thing I really like about this book is that it has macro and microeconomics lessons that are tied to everyday life, like economic clues to watch for when watching the news (jobless claims, housing starts, etc. ).
Children’s Investing Book #6: Front Row Kids, David W. bianchi
age range: 8-12 years
I love that this book acknowledges the fact that so many moms are learning along with their kids!
Just look at its subtitle: “what every kid (and parent) should know about money, investing, and the stock market.”
bianchi is the father of a 13-year-old boy, as well as an investor and lawyer with a degree in economics. He set out to create a money and investing guide for his son, explaining many money and investing concepts in 100 short topics.
By answering questions like what is the difference between the stock market and the stock market, stock charts and high frequency investing, bianchi opens your child to a whole new world.
See Also: Free Classical Guitar Method Book (PDF) | This is Classical Guitar
I specifically like the section on how to analyze companies. I need that training for myself!
Kids Investing Book #7: How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000, James Mckenna and Jeannine Glista
age range: 10-14 years
I love that this book is written by the creators of bill nye the scientist (come on, who else remembers him?).
although it doesn’t focus entirely on investing money, skipping the whole “what is money” thing, but going into great detail on how to get a job, save money, start a business, and set goals, this book is still a jewel.
some of the points/lessons I really like include:
- cultivate a million-dollar mindset
- set short-, medium-, and long-term goals
- ask for an allowance and/or increase in allowance , but offering alternatives for when this doesn’t work
- the first unglamorous jobs of really famous people like what your child will probably find, like oprah’s job stocking supermarket shelves and michael dell’s job washing up dishes in a Chinese restaurant
- the concept of value investing, or sourcing undervalued stocks to buy (buy low, sell high, right?)
- the various ways of not become a millionaire (debt anyone?)
The message that really resonated with this farmer-turned-money-guy? “…when it comes to money, your past does not determine your future. no matter what your lot is in life, no matter where you live or how you live… there are many examples of people who have come from nothing to become something.”
Hint: You’ll want to follow these books with things like kids’ investing board games, stock market worksheets (pdf), and kids’ compound interest activities.
investing books for teenagers
If you have a teenager who is dying to learn about investing (or you’re dying to introduce them…and you hope they follow their enthusiasm), definitely check out the books in this section.
Children’s Investing Book #1: Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens Robert T. kiyosaki
age range: 11+ years
True wealth is measured by more than money, and Robert is working to help his teen intelligently communicate his fluency with money.
As a fellow diary-keeper going sooooooo right back to kindergarten (really! thanks uncle andy for buying me the first one), I wholeheartedly love how Robert encourages his child(ren) to take a journal and drop the beans on all sorts of things. it is truly a gift to themselves.
Parent Service Announcement: Robert asks his son, in the introduction, “Do you sometimes feel like what you’re learning in school has nothing to do with your life?” and then his son is asked to answer “yes” or “no”. then he goes on to explain that, just like his son, which he just answered yes twice in the series of questions he asked, he had trouble in school…and he can still lead exactly the life he wants.
investing book for kids #2: the teenage investor, timothy olsen
age range: 12+ years
tim olsen is actually a 13 year old boy (at the time of this writing) who bought this first stock at the age of 8! Actually, that’s why I’ve included this book on this list of investment books for kids: I like that it’s from a young person’s perspective.
He was a beginner, just a few years ago, like his own son. sometimes it’s easier to learn from someone who was recently a beginner.
olsen emphasizes the need to keep investment costs down (as well as how to do it) and how you should start saving your money to be ready to invest. He illustrates how much your teen could have in investments by the time he’s 65 by starting with small amounts your teen can grasp, like $50 a month.
children’s investing book #3: the teen investing guide, david gardner and tom gardner
age range: 12+ years
I like how this guide, from one of the best-known financial investment organizations, emphasizes the role of mutual funds in a healthy portfolio.
They also have a great section that discusses all the ways your teen should look at a company before determining if it’s a good investment or not.
They introduce the idea of financial independence early on, which is a great goal for any child. also, that every dollar he spends is an investment, so he must spend his money wisely. Finally, I love the way you let your child know that they are a valuable asset in themselves.
Think of all your teen is going to accomplish in their lifetime!
See Also: 39 Great Books For Babies Under 1 (Baby-Approved Faves!)