A few days after he turned 11, my son Isaac was counting the money he’d been given at the kitchen table – £100.
He was torn between spending it on new airsoft gear [a game that simulates military conflicts] and putting it in his savings account. I said: ‘Why not invest it instead?’
At first, he looked at me like I’d just asked him to do extra maths homework. But once I explained how his money could grow instead of sitting idly in a bank account, his interest was piqued.
I told him about the Junior Isa (Jisa) I have been paying into since he was a baby and how it was filled with investments in real businesses and, if chosen carefully, could turn his £100 into something much bigger.
We scrolled through different funds and, ultimately, invested it into the Liontrust UK Equity Fund.
A year later, that £100 had turned into £118 – not a fortune, but enough to show him that investing could be rewarding. I explained that if he had left it in cash savings it would have only grown to around £102.
Lee Higson and his son, Isaac, regularly discuss investing ideas while on the school run
Since then, investing has become a habit. Isaac regularly checks his Hargreaves Lansdown app, fascinated by the way the markets move. His favourite part is the graphs that show him how his investments have grown.
Through his Jisa, he’s not just saving for the future, he’s learning valuable lessons about patience, risk and long-term thinking.
Alongside investment chats on the school run, we sit down twice a year – after his birthday and Christmas – to take a proper look at his portfolio. We don’t play board games, we play the stock market.
His maths tutor, a keen investor himself, has also become an unexpected influence. Their lessons often stray into stock talk. They’ve recently been debating whether Nvidia shares are a smart buy.
Isaac was all for buying some until DeepSeek, a Chinese AI competitor, was unveiled, causing Nvidia’s price to plunge. It was the perfect real-world example of why putting all your money into one company can be risky. We talked about how even big firms aren’t immune to competition and why diversifying your investments is crucial.
Isaac hasn’t taken the plunge and bought Nvidia shares but he understands that some of the funds he invests in hold the stock, so he is still exposed to its rises and falls.
Isaac caught the investment bug three years ago, but I’ve had it for far longer.
When he was born in 2010, the Government was still offering Child Trust Funds (CTFs) and, like many parents, I set one up for him.
When Isaac was four, I moved his CTF into a Jisa to benefit from the lower fees and broader investment choices these new accounts offered.
It wasn’t just Isaac – I set up Jisas for all three of my boys. But Isaac is the one who’s taken a real interest.
He doesn’t just see it as a savings pot for the future – he wants to understand how it works, how the market moves and how he can make the most of it.
Through working together to pick investments, we’ve achieved annual growth of 10-18pc.
Our best investment has been the Marlborough UK Micro-Cap Growth fund. Since our initial investment, it has delivered more than a 100pc return. It always raises a smile with Isaac if I mention it!
Our worst investment – well mine, as I picked this one – was Woodford CF Equity. The less said about that the better.
The long-term nature of investing was something I probably didn’t make clear enough to Isaac. A few years ago, he casually mentioned taking money out of his Jisa to pay for some games he had his eye on.
When I told him that wasn’t an option and that he couldn’t withdraw anything until he was 18, his face dropped. Six years is a long wait to spend your money for anyone, never mind a teen.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but it led to an important chat about long-term savings. We talked about why the best gains come from letting investments grow.
He accepted his money was locked away and now, at 14, he’s got his eyes on what the funds will do for him when he turns 18. He’s hoping to buy a car.
Recently, Isaac got his first job, working at the local golf course, earning £50 a week. With a steady income, we’re now having chats about balancing spending, saving and investing for the future.
Teaching Isaac about investing has been one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever given him. He’s gone from a child who barely understood savings accounts to a teen who checks the stock market, debates investments and thinks about long-term financial growth.
He’s also realised that wealth isn’t just about earning, it’s about making smart decisions.
I want Isaac to grow up feeling confident about money – knowing how to make it work for him, rather than working for it.
By starting young, my son has a head start and I believe every parent should give their child the same opportunity.
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