Two months away from an MBA from the lens of a 4th grader 

Kid time now!

Kid time now!

4th grade was a very pivotal time for me.  

  • I got mooned 

  • My pants fell off as I jumped off the swings 

  • I got into my first and last fight 

  • Someone had called me the N-word for the first time in my life by someone who was person of color (ironically my closest friend dated him 5 years later).  

  • I learned about the stock market  

In fourth grade we picked three stocks: Bank of America, Hershey, and Atari and followed them throughout the year. The stock would go up and down and it would change. This experience was my first touch in personal finance and teaching. I never thought I would be in business except for my infatuation with golfing at the age of 8.  

 

Oddly all the companies that we followed in 96 are still in operation. One is a gambling website. One is eating all the banks like a game of Pac-Man buying out any bank that is failing. The other is getting a back rub from BoA with a boost in according to The Street “Bank of America reversed course on Hershey, bringing its price target on the chocolate company from under the stock's current level to well above.” Lastly one company is still making some form of money selling casino games and dabbling into blockchain.   

If we pay attention to our ideas, they will eventually guide us to freedom. If and only if we listen and execute.  

Sixteen Years later I became a 4th grade teacher and 20 years later I got an MBA with an emphasis in Financial Planning. What’s important to note is that all that is lost, and we all have renaissances in different times. Hopefully you can figure out what you are passionate for.