The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: 8 Steps to Having More Money Than Your Parents Ever Dreamed Of

The Motley Foolhas made investing fun and easy for millions of people. Now, it custom designs its wit and wisdom for today's money-savvy teens.

The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teenshelps teens stand out from the ho-hum mutual-fund crowd, build a portfolio of stocks they can actually care about, and take advantage of the investor's best friend -- time -- to watch their profits multiply.

• Strike a blow for financial independence. The Fool shows you how to:

• Question authority when it comes to managing your money

• Save cash (for investing, for college...and, yes, even for having fun!)

• Dodge the spending and saving pitfalls that trap so many adults

• Get started investing -- online and off -- with just a few dollars

• Discover up-and-coming businesses that could become future blue chips

Warning: this is not your parents' money guide! From identifying companies that are both cool and profitable to building a portfolio that makes tracking investments exciting,The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teensshows young investors the way to financial freedom.WiredCool. Actually, quite hip....The Gardners set out to do something different in the investment world: have some fun while making a wad of money.Introduction

You have a brain, and it's extraordinary. While you're off playing soccer or your banjo or cards with your grandparents or U2's great new CD, your brain won't stop. It's calculating. It's remembering. It's planning. It's making decisions and adjustments, millions of them. It's dreaming. Then reasoning. Then reconsidering.

Your mind is a wonder.

We believe that, at your age, the diligent use of your mind is the single best way to be financially independent. What doesfinancial independencemean? It means being able to live where you want to, work when and where you want to, and provide generously for yourself and those you love. It means being able to give money to a charity you believe in without having to worry about going into debt.

More specifically, financial independence means being able to fly off to wander the coves and beaches of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. It means being able to buy a great mountain bike, buy and care for your first car, rent an apartment that you like. It means being able to afford to go to cooking school or to pay down the cost of medical school or to get an advanced degree in physics or philosophy. Financial independence means being able to take a year off to paint murals or to study the migratory path of the short-toed treecreeper (a delightful, rare bird) or to start your own band.

It means not being anxiously nervous about your money, ever.

The mission ofThe Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teensis simple. We want you to be financially independent. We want you to be able to direct your life without financial care. At first, it would seem an impossible task, what with millions of American adults up to their ears in credit card debt. The last five years have seen more personal bankruptcy filings than any period in American history. Virtually none of the nation's high schools or universities offer even basic tutorials on saving, investing, and planning for your future. And today's college graduates have more credit card debt than ever before.

My oh my. Do we really think we can help you toward financial independence?

Yes.

Here's why.

1.ýYou already have more than you think going for you. You probably know a lot more about making good financial decisions than you'd think. And you have a gigantic financial advantage over  more >>