Financial Stewardship & Investing
Parent Resource Page
Financial Stewardship & Investing
Helping Families Raise Wise Stewards, Investors & Legacy Builders
LEARN • EARN • STEWARD • INVEST • GIVE • BUILD • MULTIPLY
Welcome to Financial Stewardship & Investing | 2026–2027
What if financial education didn’t stop with learning how to budget, save money or stay out of debt?
What if our children also learned how to earn, invest, own productive assets, understand risk, practice generosity, build wealth patiently and steward resources with Biblical wisdom?
The True North Financial Stewardship & Investing Resource Hub is designed to help homeschool parents begin those conversations — and then move beyond conversation into real-world experience.
Our goal isn’t simply to teach students about money.
It’s to help parents raise children who know how to wisely steward whatever God entrusts to them.
And whenever appropriate, we want students to move beyond simulations and begin gaining experience with real money, real accounts, real investments and real decisions — alongside their parents.
Learn about it. Experience it. Do it together. Build on it.
All True North learning experiences are independently and privately funded. We do not accept government funding for our educational programming.
START HERE
If you’re new to Financial Stewardship & Investing, start simple:
Attend or watch the Financial Stewardship & Investing Kick-Off & Parent Orientation
Explore the roadmap below to understand how stewardship, earning, investing and legacy fit together
Choose one age-appropriate next step for your student — from learning about compounding to exploring a real investment account together
Connect learning to real life through True North experiences such as AmeriTowne, The Stock Market Game and Entrepreneur Launchpad
Build from there. Use this page as an evolving parent resource hub as we add new tools, Family Investment Labs, experiences and the full K–12 Pathway
Watch for True North field trips, experiences, and special opportunities throughout the year
You do not need to do everything at once. Start small. Learn together. Build over time.
From there, use this page as a resource library and roadmap to continue exploring wherever your student’s interests lead.
LEARN • EARN • STEWARD • INVEST • GIVE • BUILD • MULTIPLY • REAL-WORLD LEARNING
START HERE | WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO BUILD?
Financial stewardship is bigger than budgeting. Throughout childhood and adolescence, students can gradually learn to understand:
WORK — Using our gifts, abilities and effort to create value
EARNING — Understanding where money comes from and the relationship between work, value and income
STEWARDSHIP — Wisely managing what we've been entrusted with
SAVING — Preparing for future needs and opportunities
INVESTING — Putting resources to productive use with an understanding of risk and potential return
OWNERSHIP — Understanding businesses, investments and productive assets
GENEROSITY — Using what we have to bless and serve others
CONTENTMENT — Learning that wealth is a tool, not the goal
LEGACY — Thinking beyond ourselves to what we are building, giving and eventually passing to others
The goal isn’t to raise children obsessed with money. The goal is to raise children prepared to handle it wisely.
STEP 1 | BEGIN WITH BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP
[AVAILABLE NOW]
Before we teach students how to grow money, we want them to understand what money is — and what it isn’t. Scripture has much to say about work, stewardship, generosity, contentment, planning, diligence, debt, wealth and responsibility. As you begin these conversations as a family, consider questions such as:
What does it mean to be a steward rather than simply an owner?
Why do we work?
Is having wealth wrong?
What responsibilities come with having resources?
What’s the difference between wise planning and worrying about money?
What’s the difference between investing and gambling?
How do generosity and wealth building coexist?
How much is enough?
What are we ultimately trying to build with the resources God gives us?
COMING SOON: Biblical Stewardship Family Guide — A simple parent + student resource with Scripture, discussion questions and age-appropriate activities to help families establish their own Biblical foundation for money, investing and generosity.
STEP 2 | LEARN HOW MONEY GROWS
[AVAILABLE NOW]
Before students choose investments, help them understand several foundational concepts:
START WITH COMPOUNDING
Compounding allows money to generate growth and then potentially generate additional growth on what has already accumulated. For young investors, time can be one of their greatest advantages.
Explore compound growth together and compare what happens when someone begins investing at 10, 15, 20, 30 or 40.
PARENT + STUDENT CHALLENGE
Try several scenarios:
What could happen to $100 over 10, 20, 30 or 50 years?
What if you added $25 every month?
What about $100 every month?
What changes when you start ten years earlier?
THEN EXPLORE:
Saving vs. investing
Risk and return
Stocks
Bonds
Mutual funds
ETFs
Diversification
Fees
Inflation
Long-term investing
Market volatility
FREE RESOURCE: Use Investor.gov’s compound-interest resources and calculators to experiment together.
FREE RESOURCE: Explore FINRA’s Investing Basics resources for investing fundamentals, risk, fees, diversification and investment products.
PARENT NOTE: Your child does not need to complete an entire financial curriculum before moving forward. Financial understanding can grow alongside real-world experience.
STEP 3 | EXPERIENCE MONEY, BUSINESS & INVESTING
True North already offers several hands-on learning experiences that connect directly with Financial Stewardship & Investing.
Young Ameritowne | 2nd–12th — Students learn about banking, careers, business, economics, supply and demand and philanthropy before putting those concepts into practice during a hands-on Day at AmeriTowne
PATHWAY CONNECTION: Money • Banking • Economics • Work • Business • Philanthropy
The Stock Market Game | 4th–12th — Students work in teams to manage a simulated $100,000 investment portfolio while learning about investing, economics, personal finance and global capital markets. Simulation gives students an opportunity to experiment, research and make mistakes before investing their own money. But we don’t want the learning to end there. The Stock Market Game is practice. Real-life investing can be the next step!
PATHWAY CONNECTION: Investing • Markets • Research • Risk • Portfolio Management • Economics
Entrepreneur Launchpad | K–12 — Students learn how to create, build, market and launch a small business — and then put those skills into action through real-world selling opportunities. That creates another important financial question: You earned money. Now what will you do with it?
GIVE • SAVE • REINVEST • INVEST • SPEND
There isn’t one percentage or formula every family must follow. The lesson is learning to make an intentional decision about what happens to money after we earn it.
PATHWAY CROSSOVER: Entrepreneurship → Income → Stewardship → Investing → Generosity → Wealth Building
STEP 4 | MOVE FROM SIMULATED TO REAL INVESTING
Custodial Brokerage Account
Learning how investing works is important. Actually becoming an investor can change the conversation. Families who are ready can explore ways for their children and teens to begin investing real money under appropriate parental guidance and oversight.
Depending on the child’s age, earned income and the family’s goals, options may include: Custodial Brokerage Account. An adult custodian establishes and manages an investment account for the benefit of a minor. This can allow families to begin investing for — and teaching investing to — children well before the teen years.
EXPLORE FOR: Younger students beginning long-term investing
PARENT + TEEN BROKERAGE ACCOUNT
Some financial institutions now offer brokerage accounts designed specifically for teens and parents to invest together. For example, the Schwab Teen Investor™ account is currently available for teens ages 13–17 and a parent or guardian. It is structured as a joint taxable brokerage account, allowing teens to participate directly while parents retain oversight.
EXPLORE FOR: Teens ready for hands-on investing with a parent.
CUSTODIAL ROTH IRA
Children and teens with qualifying earned income may be eligible for a custodial Roth IRA. This can become particularly relevant for students who earn legitimate income through employment, self-employment or entrepreneurial activities.
EXPLORE FOR: Students earning real income who want to begin learning about long-term retirement investing.
529 EDUCATION ACCOUNT
Families may also explore tax-advantaged accounts designed specifically for qualified education expenses.
EXPLORE FOR: Families saving and investing toward future education.
DON’T CONFUSE THE ACCOUNT WITH THE INVESTMENT
This is an important distinction for students — and adults. A brokerage account, Roth IRA or 529 is an account or vehicle. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds and ETFs are examples of investments that may be held within certain accounts. Part of becoming a capable investor is learning to understand both: Where is my money being held? and What does my money actually own?
STEP 5 | MAKE YOUR FIRST REAL INVESTMENT TOGETHER
[AVAILABLE NOW — SIMPLE FAMILY ACTIVITY]
FAMILY INVESTMENT LAB #1 | BECOME AN INVESTOR
Choose an amount appropriate for your family: $25, $50, $100, or another amount
The amount isn’t the important part. The learning is. Before investing, research together. Ask:
What are we considering buying?
Do we understand how it works?
What do we actually own if we purchase it?
How could this investment make money?
How could we lose money?
What fees or expenses are involved?
How diversified would we be?
How long are we prepared to leave this money invested?
Why are we choosing this investment?
Then, when your family is comfortable:
MAKE THE INVESTMENT TOGETHER.
Record:
Investment: ____________________
Amount Invested: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Why We Chose It: ____________________
Our Time Horizon: ____________________
What We Hope to Learn: ____________________
Don’t measure the success of this experience by whether the investment goes up next week. Measure it by what your student learns about becoming an owner and long-term investor.
STEP 6 | START A FAMILY INVESTMENT RHYTHM
Buying an investment once isn’t the goal. Building wise habits over time is. Consider establishing a simple monthly or quarterly: Family Portfolio Meeting. Parents and students can review:
What do we currently own?
What happened since our last meeting?
Why might our investments have changed in value?
Did anything fundamentally change?
Did we contribute additional money?
What did we learn?
Did we make — or feel tempted to make — an emotional decision?
Are we taking an appropriate amount of risk?
What are we saving toward?
What have we given?
What financial question should we learn about next?
The goal isn’t to constantly trade. The goal is to develop informed, patient and thoughtful investors.
STEP 7 | CONNECT EARNING TO INVESTING
[AVAILABLE NOW + TRUE NORTH ENTREPRENEUR CROSSOVER]
One of the best times to teach stewardship is when a student begins earning their own money. Maybe your student:
Runs a small business
Sells at an entrepreneur market
Mows lawns
Babysits
Creates products
Does freelance work
Works a part-time job
Earns income another way
Instead of allowing the learning experience to end when the money arrives, ask: What will you do with what you earned?
A student might choose to divide money among:
Give — How can I use some of what I earned to bless someone else?
Save — What future need or opportunity am I preparing for?
Reinvest — Would putting money back into my business help it grow?
Invest — Could some of this money begin working toward a long-term goal?
Spend — What do I intentionally want to enjoy now?
There is no True North required allocation. The purpose is to help students learn that earning money creates choices — and stewardship means making those choices intentionally.
FOR STUDENTS WITH EARNED INCOME
This is also a natural opportunity for parents to begin exploring:
Record keeping
Profit vs. revenue
Taxes
Self-employment
Roth IRAs
Long-term retirement investing
COMING SOON: After the Market — Earn • Steward • Invest Guide — Designed to connect Entrepreneur Launchpad and other student income directly into the Financial Stewardship & Investing Pathway.
STEP 8 | LOOK BEYOND THE STOCK MARKET
[COMING SOON]
Investing is bigger than buying stocks. As the True North Financial Stewardship & Investing Pathway grows, we’ll help families explore different ways people own and build productive assets, including:
Stocks & investment funds
Fixed-income investments
Business ownership
Real estate
Retirement investing
Education investing
Cash reserves
Income-producing assets
Charitable giving
Students don’t need to become experts in every investment. They should learn to ask:
How does this asset create value?
How might it produce income or appreciate?
What risks come with owning it?
What role could it play in a larger financial plan?
STEP 9 | BUILD SOMETHING WORTH PASSING ON
[COMING SOON]
Financial stewardship ultimately isn’t about seeing how large we can make an investment account. It’s about what we do with the resources entrusted to us. As students mature, we’ll begin exploring:
Generational wealth
Generosity
Family businesses
Real estate
Charitable giving
Estate-planning concepts
Inheritance
Teaching the next generation
Using wealth to serve others
Building a family legacy
And perhaps most importantly: What are you building that money can help accomplish?
COMING SOON | TRUE NORTH
FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP & INVESTING PATHWAY
This Parent Resource Hub is only the beginning. True North is developing a K–12 Financial Stewardship & Investing Pathway designed to help students progressively build real-world financial capability alongside their parents.
Foundations — Approximately Ages 6–10 — Money • Work • Saving • Giving • Ownership • Compounding • First Investments
Builders — Approximately Ages 10–14 — Banking • Economics • Business • Markets • Investing • Risk • Diversification • Real Portfolio Experience
Legacy Ready — Approximately Ages 14–18 — Income • Taxes • Credit • Investing • Retirement • Business • Real Estate • Insurance • Generosity • Wealth Building • Legacy
Students won’t simply complete lessons. They’ll progressively put what they’re learning into practice through real conversations, real financial decisions, real earning opportunities and — when families determine they’re ready — real investments.
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
Investor.gov — Free educational resources from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for learning about saving, investing, compounding, diversification and investment fundamentals.
FINRA Investor Education — Educational resources covering investment basics, risk, asset allocation, diversification, fees, volatility and evaluating investments.
Charles Schwab | Investing with Kids — Explore custodial accounts, custodial IRAs, 529 accounts and Schwab's Teen Investor account.
Schwab Teen Investor — Explore Schwab's joint brokerage account designed for teens ages 13–17 and a parent or guardian.
COMING SOON: Additional banking, brokerage, investment, Biblical stewardship, books, podcasts and parent/student educational resources
A NOTE FOR PARENTS
True North provides educational information and connects families with outside resources and learning opportunities. True North does not provide individualized investment, tax, legal or financial advice, recommend specific securities or guarantee investment results. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Parents remain responsible for determining which financial products, accounts, investments and strategies are appropriate for their families and should consult qualified financial, tax or legal professionals when appropriate.
Our role is different: We want to help families learn, ask better questions, discover reputable resources and give their students meaningful opportunities to put financial principles into practice. Because ultimately, we’re not just preparing students to make money. We’re preparing them to steward it.
WHERE WILL YOUR FAMILY START?
You don’t have to do everything at once. Choose one next step:
Learn about compounding together
Talk about how your family approaches money
Participate in AmeriTowne
Try the Stock Market Game
Help your student earn their first $100
Research an investment together
Explore an age-appropriate investment account
Make a first investment together
Start a quarterly family portfolio meeting
Practice generosity together
Start small. Learn together. Build over time.
LEARN • EARN • STEWARD • INVEST • GIVE • BUILD • MULTIPLY
QUESTIONS or CONCERNS?
We want your student to have the best possible experience in our Financial Stewardship & Investing track this year! If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
THEME-BASED FIELD TRIP SERIES
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Description: What field trip series should we highlight here? lots of cross over across the different tracks/pathways we are building.
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