In this episode, special guest Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments and New York Times bestselling author of Priceless Facts About Money discusses financial literacy, teaching, and the underestimated potential of young people.

Hobson explains that although her book is written for kids, adults are very much part of the audience. “I’m using kids to get to adults… I call it the gateway book for adults,” she shares.

Inspired by the pandemic and America’s persistent financial literacy gap, Hobson set out to create a resource that makes money concepts fun, accessible, and rooted in real facts.

"Kids can learn anything if you don’t underestimate them,” she says.

That belief is reflected in the Ariel Community Academy model, where students begin learning about saving and investing in first grade using real dollars. 

When asked what single concept she would want every high school investing teacher to emphasize, Hobson doesn’t hesitate: “Compound interest. If I could teach only one thing, that would be it.”

She describes it as a force that can either build wealth or create long-term debt, depending on whether students understand it early enough.

To hear the full discussion with NGPF's Yanely Espinal, including Hobson’s personal story and practical teaching insights, listen to the complete episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

Links and transcript available here.