Speaking at my High school Career day

[Benjamin Haberman]

Hello!

I was invited to speak at our high school career day, which is this thursday. I am speaking to high school seniors and plan to talk about buy and hold investing. I was thinking of explaining how I figure out my deals (napkin method), but I am thinking this is too much for them. I might end up just talking about my flips. I don't know. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I am 33 and forget what its like to be a senior in high school! Thanks BP!

[David Christoffel]

Hi @Benjamin Haberman!  I think it's great to see young, motivated, experienced investors educating the youth of the next generation.  The next-gen youth need to be taught how to be proactive about money, personal finances, and careful spending as it is most vital to their success in life.  It's a skill set most average schools lack in their curriculum, and very few people take the time to address that. You want them to be better than average.

A suggestion would be to spend a considerable amount of your session, probably in the beginning, talking about why personal finance and money should matter to them.  If they don't understand the fundamentals of capital generation and  spending less than they earn (most of them probably haven't even earned yet), they won't grasp the importance of your role as a real estate investor in their community, not to mention the number calculations behind a deal.  Give them case study examples of people who are financially successful and tell them how those individuals got there, it could be someone they all might know from the community, or famous celebrity, or political figure.  I believe a high school student is more inclined to listen to story about someone who used real estate as a vehicle for financial success and how they live their lives rather than a verbal breakdown of the math that goes into making a successful deal.  I think one of the true points to convey to high school students is that money will own your life if you let it.  Don't work for the dollar, make the dollar work for you.  

Hope this helps!