I'm 17, but I don't have the money to invest.

[Carson Scott]

Ok, so i'm only 17 and I have about $3,000 in stocks right now and that's all the money I currently have. I am not working a job right now because of soccer on top of school, but I will be working one this summer. I want to invest as early as I can into a rental property, but I know that I am going to have to go to college and that is something I can't just avoid because of my parents, so you know what that means student loans. So my question is how can I invest in a rental property right out of college cause i know that I won't be able to get a loan because I will already be neck deep with student loans. So my question do I speed the process up and try to get this rental property as soon as possible. Also keep in mind that i'm already really frugal about my money and good at saving it.

[Michael Larkin]

Hi Carson. I highly recommend against attending college unless you have a solid understanding of what you would like to do and the program you will need to complete to do it. Putting yourself thousands of dollars in debt simply because someone tells you to is a terrible start to your investment career. Even if those telling you to are your parents. We invest to see returns. If you can't see any potential returns, you shouldn't invest. Plain and simple.

Your parents only want what is best for you, but unfortunately a big myth that has been propagated to their entire generation for years is that you need to attend college to succeed. This has never been the case, and is even less the case today. If you are not absolutely certain that you would like to pay $20K+ for a college education, I suggest rather than telling your parents that you don't want to go, tell them you are unsure about what program you would like to participate in (if any) and that $20K+ is a TON of money to spend on something you are unsure about. You wouldn't buy a speedboat in Nebraska on the off chance that you might live by the beach someday, would you? Taking a few years between high school and college to earn some money, gain some experience, and figure out what you want to do in life sounds more than reasonable to me. You can always go to college if you decide on a career path that requires a degree. Best of luck with it!