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Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

roberdam.com

11–20 of 448 posts

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#12
post #2

Showing siblings' investment performance side-by-side on a fridge-mounted screen. Author understands child psychology. You can't motivate kids by filling their heads with theory. Instead, make the outcomes of their actions visible to them - then they -motivate themselves- to learn how to improve those outcomes. Add in some friendly peer-competition and you're golden!

That was the idea! I hope it works out that way.

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#13

is 15% realistic?

Yes, in Brasil and South Sudan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_central_b...

Those two aren't similar. Brazil's annual inflation is 4-5%, you get 10% real return. South Sudan is 74% against your 15% return: you lose money.

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#14
post #6

This is frankly depressing. > As my eldest son’s birthday was approaching, we suggested that instead of asking for physical gifts, he ask for their equivalent in money. That way, he gathered a decent amount of capital for his first investment adventure. Yes, why would you want a toy or a book? Why waste time having fun or learning? You could instead watch a number go up slowly while you do nothing. Fun for the whole…

How is teaching your kids to invest some portion of their money "raising finance due bros and gambling addicts"? Just because modern culture has incentivized these kinds of people doesn't suddenly make investing bad. This is such a wild take.

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#15

is 15% realistic?

Not in real-life terms, but for a kid, a larger interest rate will be less slow and boring than a realistic one, and it will be more engaging. “The first national bank of dad” is a book that suggests a similar approach and I believe it also advocates a 15% interest rate.

I remember watching the statements for my savings account as a kid and getting like 2¢ of interest per statement and thinking… that’s it?? Why bother??

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#17
post #6

This is frankly depressing. > As my eldest son’s birthday was approaching, we suggested that instead of asking for physical gifts, he ask for their equivalent in money. That way, he gathered a decent amount of capital for his first investment adventure. Yes, why would you want a toy or a book? Why waste time having fun or learning? You could instead watch a number go up slowly while you do nothing. Fun for the whole…

agreed - he doesn't say the age of the kids but I imagine they're both under 10? Done right this could set them up for life and make them millionaires with virtually no effort by the age of 30 and still give them a childhood filled with toys and fun. But removing birthday gifts entirely from a young child... woah. Kids need physical items and tangible hobbies to share and bond with friends, even if it's just a cool looking stick. Is a child's brain developed enough to understand, enjoy and share a lot of these concepts, could it maybe lead to them becoming isolated?

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#18

Am I missing something? When they went to add money, do you go back in and increase the initial investment? Are they actually investing anything? If so, wouldn’t the app for the brokerage do this with real numbers?

They invest with “The first national bank of dad” as user loloquwowndueo pointed out, I'm their broker, no penalties when they want to make a withdrawal

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#19
post #6

This is frankly depressing. > As my eldest son’s birthday was approaching, we suggested that instead of asking for physical gifts, he ask for their equivalent in money. That way, he gathered a decent amount of capital for his first investment adventure. Yes, why would you want a toy or a book? Why waste time having fun or learning? You could instead watch a number go up slowly while you do nothing. Fun for the whole…

How is teaching your kids to invest some portion of their money "raising finance due bros and gambling addicts"? Just because modern culture has incentivized these kinds of people doesn't suddenly make investing bad. This is such a wild take.

> How is teaching your kids to invest some portion of their money

That’s not what the article says. I explicitly quoted the relevant part. It’s not “a portion of their money”, this is not money they had lying around in an envelope that grandma gave them. This father is incentivising the kids to not get what they want for their birthday and instead ask for money with which they’ll do nothing but unrealistically watch grow for a period of time. That’s not a good core memory, no one looks fondly on “that birthday I had as a kid where I got nothing but a number on an app stated growing at a snail pace”.

> doesn't suddenly make investing bad.

That’s not the argument. Nowhere in my comment does it say investing is bad.

> This is such a wild take.

Any take is wild when you blatantly misrepresent it. Don’t straw man.

Re: Show HN: In a single HTML file, an app to encourage my children to invest

#20
post #6

This is frankly depressing. > As my eldest son’s birthday was approaching, we suggested that instead of asking for physical gifts, he ask for their equivalent in money. That way, he gathered a decent amount of capital for his first investment adventure. Yes, why would you want a toy or a book? Why waste time having fun or learning? You could instead watch a number go up slowly while you do nothing. Fun for the whole…

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