Hey friends,

Today a summary of my money presentation to a group of high school seniors. What a treat.

Also, last week I asked readers for one liners I could use in my speech. One reader replied:

One of my favorite business one liners is “in the room, in the deal”. How does this apply to the younger generation? In an online world dominated by socials, influencers, and non-contact interactions, remember that it's always easier to do business with someone when you have a personal connection first. Get out and meet as many people as you can, ask lots of questions, and find yourself in situations that push your boundaries. You never know who you'll meet and what knowledge or potential opportunities will present themselves when you step out and meet the world face to face. 

Thank you, Steve, for the input, which I used!

Subscriber count: 1,004.

Personal Finance

On Tuesday I presented at Glenylon Norfolk School to a room full of teenagers in a grand auditorium about money and investing. Spoke for about 25 minutes, interacting with the crowd asking them questions like:

• what is more important, time or money?

• would you rather have millions, or be dead broke?

• what is inflation?

• what is an asset vs liability?

• does everyone remember Blackberry?

• who is richer, the guy with the BWM and a car loan or the guy with the used Corolla and big fat investing account?

Almost the entire room put their hand up when I asked what inflation was—a great sign that kids today are more aware of how the real world works vs 20 years ago when I was in grade 12. Maybe the next generation gets it more than we think.

Also many great questions during the follow on Q&A which lasted another 20 minutes or so; one asked if buying an apartment and renting it out would be considered an investment—as long as it turns a positive cash flow, then yes!

Another asked, is it better to rent or buy? Depends on what values you ascribe to the non-financial side of things! For more on this, see issue 86 and issue 85.

I was asked for thoughts on war profiteering—to which I said, well that’s way out of my expertise! But yes, there are businesses that profit immensely during a state of war, so if you take a view on increased war spending, you could buy the publicly traded defense stocks, for example. Or the ETF; a quick check at the SP500 Aerospace and Defense ETF and its 10 year annualized growth rate is 17%, a 5 fold increase…wow.

In any case, I was impressed by the participation and general knowledge.

I received a follow up email from the Alumni Relations director:

Thank you for sharing your energy and time today! I must mention that while you were speaking, I even heard some students behind me say, "Yeah, I gotta get on that." Great to hear your work was well received. 

No. Thank you, for having me.

An excerpt summary to finish from the GNS Alumni Newsletter:

Eddie Gudewill: Time, Money, & Personal Finance

Alumnus Eddie Gudewill, class of 2006, addressed Grade 11 and 12 students, shifting the conversation from simply earning money to understanding the true value of time and the power of starting early on the path to financial independence. His core message was a challenge: to seize control of your future by making intentional financial decisions now.

Eddie emphasized that while you can always make more money, you can never make more time, making time the single most critical factor in investing. This was powerfully illustrated by the investing story of Margaret and Bob, proving that starting at age 18 versus age 28 can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars difference due solely to the effect of compounding interest. He introduced the Rule of 72 as a tool to show how quickly money doubles, advising that investing is mandatory simply to counteract inflation, the "silent killer" of wealth.

To put themselves in a position of control, not desperation, students were advised to live by the simple formula: earn more, spend less, and invest the difference. This requires distinguishing between Assets (which put money in your pocket, like stocks and businesses) and Liabilities (which take money out, like car loans and overspending). Eddie also stressed the massive opportunity cost of overspending now, noting that a $200 purchase today could be worth over $12,000 in 40 years if invested.

He assured students they don't need to be experts or wait until they know everything. The best investors are the most patient and have the most emotional control, ignoring FOMO and ensuring diversification through instruments like ETFs. The advice is simple: open an account, make the first contribution, and you will learn the rest along the way. Real wealth is not about what you see, but about what you don't see; it is being able to do what you want with your time.

The session concluded with a direct question to the students:

What are you going to do about it?

Build wealth the way I actually do it 🧠
My ETF investing course walks you through the exact system I use—simple, low-cost, and built for real people with real lives. You’ll learn how to invest confidently without chasing headlines or picking stocks.

👉 Start learning now — save 10% with code SIMPLYINVEST

🎁 Get $25 when you open a Wealthsimple account. Use my referral code: PRGS3Q

Stock Markets

No market rants or charts this week, so here’s a poem:

Stocks go up

Stocks go down

More often the former

Less so the latter

Pessimists sound smart

But optimists do better

Being smart isn’t the key

The key is patience, time

And humility

1 Quote

“In the room, in the deal”

—Steve

A Question

For parents—how have you, how are you, or, how will you, teach your kids about money?