Teen Investing: What You Need to Know and How To Do It
Trinity Baldwin, De La Salle Institute, Junior, Spring 2026
Investment has always been a thing, whether it's putting money into a company or loaning someone a few dollars in hopes of getting it back. Investment has always been there. Now there are millions of ways to invest, and teenagers seem to be the most invested, but lack the knowledge to really get started.
According to the University of Notre Dame, “About 48% of Americans don’t hold any investments, and roughly 30% say they lack understanding of how investing works, highlighting the importance of basic investing education." (University of Notre Dame, 2026).
According to Dale Burke, a professor at De La Salle Institute, a teen should not “go for the name brand stock, throw all their eggs in one basket, and use their emotions as a guide for investment”. Instead, the best way to start investing in the stock market is with index funds. Mr. Burke describes index funds as “different stocks and shares of multiple companies.” During the interview, he explained that index funds can give you a taste of different investments.
Fidelity Investments conducted an online study of 2,081 teens ages 13 to 17. 75% reported that investing was important to them, but 1 in 4 actually started. 31% of teens who haven't started investing but are eager to do so in the future believe they are too young (Fidelity Investments, 2023). Trisen Phillips, a teen from William Rainey Harper High School, described that while growing up he was inspired to do something with money. Trisen explains, “I wanted to learn about capitalism and what can make a stock market crash, as it has in the past. How do we avoid that? How do I help teach people about investing in stocks? I’m doing it for myself but also to inform people about money and how to use it.”
Notre Dame suggests using resources like Khan Academy, BlackRock Blog, or Investopedia’s Investing 101 tutorial. These can guide you in the right direction to learning as much as you can about investing. Another valuable resource is Morningstar, an independent financial services website that offers data, investment research, and stock management tools. During my internships, I was consistently encouraged to use Morningstar for reliable information.
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Dale Burke, Professor at De La Salle Institute
Trisen Phillips, Daniel Murphy Scholar at William Rainey Harper High School
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