Elliana O.

Why I write for TeenMoney

When I was 11, the money advice I could find online was either written for adults with salaries and mortgages, or it was so watered-down it didn't actually help. Nobody was talking to teens like we're smart enough to handle real information — just at a stage where a "big" amount of money is $40, not $40,000.

So I started figuring it out myself: babysitting on weekends, keeping a simple budget in my notes app, and eventually opening a custodial account (with a lot of help from my dad, Seth, who writes the parent guides here) to invest a little each month. Every guide I write is the version of the advice I wish I'd found back then — honest, specific, and never boring.

What I write about

I stick to the three things I actually care about and practice myself:

• Making money — real side hustles teens can start now, from babysitting to reselling, without needing a car or a "real" job first.
• Saving money — simple systems that make saving automatic instead of something you feel guilty about.
• Investing — how compound interest works, why starting young is such a huge advantage, and how to actually begin.