Guest Blogger Collin Ku
In this special guest feature, Sammy Rabbit is proud to spotlight the inspiring journey and insights of Collin Ku!
Collin is a junior at St. Mark's School of Texas. He is the co-founder of Financial Literacy Advocates for young Minds Education (FLAME), a nonprofit that works to provide children in the Dallas and Frisco Area with free personal finance lessons. Along with other like-minded young people, he has taught personal finance classes and conducted story times to underserved children in Dallas.
Discover more about Collin, his big dreams, aspirations, and goals on LinkedIn: Collin Ku
My Start in Financial Literacy
My first real introduction to financial literacy happened when I was 14. Honestly, I didn’t even want to go. I had been dragged to a business seminar. But while I was sitting there, something clicked. The topics, which I thought would be boring, actually grabbed my attention. When I got home, I pulled out my dad’s old copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I read it cover to cover twice. That book completely changed the way I looked at money. It made me realize that if I studied hard enough, I could actually understand the markets and maybe even use them to my advantage.
Taking the Next Step
After that, I dove deeper into learning about things like IRAs, stocks, and portfolio management. But the more I learned, the more I noticed how few people around me seemed to know about these concepts at all. In fact, I discovered that in my home state of Texas, more than 61% of people don’t have savings or any kind of investment portfolio. That shocked me. It also motivated me. I decided that if I was lucky enough to learn about money at a young age, then I should share that knowledge. So I started teaching financial literacy classes at my local Sunday school and aftercare centers. Over six weeks, I saw firsthand just how important and how teachable financial literacy really is. Here are three big lessons I learned from that experience.
1. Financial Literacy Is Easier Than People Think
In my class at Sunray Chinese School, most of my students were just starting middle school. At first, many of them didn’t even know what the stock market was. But in just three weeks, they were confidently talking about saving, budgeting, investing, and even retirement planning. By the end of the course, they could explain the difference between types of investments and even knew about things like SEP IRAs. The biggest lesson? Financial literacy isn’t just for adults or professionals. If you break it down into simple, real-world examples, kids can learn it too. It’s just like math or science—once you practice and understand the basics, it becomes second nature.
2. Students Actually Want to Learn About Money
When I first started teaching, I decided to try something different. Instead of giving a lecture, I introduced a fun budgeting game. Right away, the energy in the room changed. The students were excited, competitive, and eager to learn. They walked out of class talking about how much fun they had while also learning how to save and budget. That moment showed me something important: students aren’t bored by financial literacy itself—they’re bored by the way it’s usually taught. When you make it interactive and engaging, students want to learn. Games, quizzes, and real-life scenarios can make a huge difference.
3. Money Lessons Matter at Every Age
Teaching financial literacy also made me realize how much money impacts every stage of life. At Wesley Rankin, I taught kids as young as elementary school about saving through a story called Sammy’s Big Dream. Even at that age, they could come up with ways to save for things they wanted, like scooters, video games, or college tuition. On the other side, I saw how my parents used financial literacy to retire almost ten years earlier than most people. It doesn’t matter if you’re 9 or 90—understanding money can change your life.
Final Thoughts
In the end, I’ve seen financial literacy empower people of all ages. My students learned how to budget and save. Some middle schoolers started talking about investing in the U.S. stock market. And my parents applied what they knew to retire early. Financial literacy isn’t complicated—it’s simple, useful, and practical. All it takes is clear teaching, a little practice, and the right mindset. Once people realize that, they can take control of their financial future, no matter how old they are.
Discover more about our featured Guest Blogger
To learn more about Collin, connect with him on LinkedIn: Collin Ku
Attention Young Leaders
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