Who am I? What are my Goals?

     Money. You can earn it. You can donate it. You can spend it. You can make it work for you. 

     When my older brother turned eighteen, my parents gave him a little money on his birthday and helped him open an account in the stock market. My dad had taught him some things about money. He was also involved in investment clubs at school. So now here he was, with his own account. This was real money. This was real life. 

     My brother is now a freshman at Ohio State in their finance program. Last I checked with him; he held a 76% return value in his account. 

     So, here I am at 17, hoping I will have the same opportunity in a year. I want to be ready for it.

     Hello, my name is Jackson Kubic, and I am a junior in high school from Cleveland, Ohio. Over the past few years, I have developed an interest in finance and investments. My mom and dad both run businesses. They both watch market news daily. Several times during my life, while my dad was checking his portfolio, he would have me sit with him and explain what he was looking at. Sometimes it was hard to understand, but at least I was being exposed to it. This helped me understand I needed to learn more about finance and investing.

     I participate in two clubs at school, Business Roundtable and the Financial Literacy club. They have helped grow my interest in finance and investing.

     I have started to earn money and have had four high school jobs. Each summer, I cut grass for families around my neighborhood. My freshman year, I was on a land-scaping crew. My Sophomore year, I bused dishes at a BBQ restaurant. Occasionally, I do some jobs for my dad helping on demolition crews for his projects. 

     It felt great to make some money and got me thinking, what do kids my age know about finances? So I Googled the topic on how to invest. An article I came across in my search focused on financial literacy. Curious, I started to read it. And guess what – I uncovered that apparently, we are living in a financial crisis! Let’s get to it.

     Financially literacy is a widespread problem that, solved, could be a cure for issues in the world. But not everyone can learn about these topics. Unfortunately, there are many reasons, from no classes and clubs about it in school to some parents having little knowledge about these topics. As Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of the Charles Schwab Foundation, states, “As we know, so many Americans lack the basics of money management, and so, it’s difficult for adults to pass on that knowledge to their children when they don’t really have the knowledge themselves” (worth.com). I believe that this lack of financial education can lead to many people experiencing tough times in life. As Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz says, “I was really, I guess, pleasantly surprised that so many Americans—basically 90 percent of Americans—say that poor financial literacy contributes to many of America’s issues, such as poverty and lack of job opportunities and that they’re recognizing the power of financial literacy and how it can empower our society” (worth.com). If we can lift society up and find ways to help everyone become more financially literate, our society will be much better. It would be great if everyone could live in a society with a strong foundation in financial wisdom. 

     So, with all of this in mind, I decided to create the Rising Investor website. It will document my journey as I learn more about the art of finance and investing. However, this website isn’t only for me; it’s also for everyone else, especially teenagers. I want to help people learn as much as they can about finance and investing.

      I will cover topics such as the current financial literacy problem, why people don’t talk about money, how and why to invest your money, saving vs. spending, how to save money, the importance of the credit score, and more. Economic empowerment not only brings people up financially, but it also does socially. To me, economic empowerment is not to close the wealth gap; it is to raise everyone up. Having a solid foundation on all the topics I’m planning on covering may unlock many opportunities for people. I want to be a part of that. I hope that everyone decides to join me and learn more about finance and investing.