My kids don’t get gifts, I invest for them instead. Teaching them financial literacy is even more important.

• Nicole Chan Loeb is a 38-year-old photographer, videographer, and mother of two.

• She and her husband prioritize experiences over gifts, so they invest for their kids instead of toys.

• They want to teach their children financial literacy and prepare them for a secure financial future.

This article is based on a conversation with Nicole Chan Loeb, a photographer and videographer from Boston. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My kids are 1.5 and 4, and I haven’t bought them literally anything Gifts for birthdays and holidays.

For birthdays, I’ll make a cake, and instead of buying toys and clothes, I do this Invest money for them To prepare them for a more secure financial future. Plastic toys and trinkets are a temporary treat, but they cause mess and landfill waste.

Growing up, my mom would tell me which stocks or funds she invested in for me. Every week, we would take the numbers in the newspaper, draw them on graph paper, and tape them to the refrigerator. We are mostly Invested in mutual funds. It was fun, and I especially loved the special time my mom and I spent together. I likewise want to teach my children financial responsibility and literacy.

My husband and I met in college in 2004. We were both in finance and accounting, and I was in it Management consultingand he was working in the internal audit department — before he decided it wasn’t for us. I quit in 2010, he quit shortly after that, and we both became entrepreneurs. I Photographer and videographerand owns Escape room a company.

It was a huge risk and I was absolutely terrified. But since my parents taught me financial literacy, I’ve learned how to save to be comfortable no matter what. Plus, the flexibility and fulfillment this lifestyle provides is worth it.

My husband and I don’t generally exchange gifts. If we wanted something, we’d just buy it for ourselves – after all, our money is pooled – so I find gift-giving difficult. Instead, we share and enjoy dinners, experiences, shows and vacations. We give each other cards, it’s more about feelings.

This year, my husband and I maxed out our kids Roth IRAs Custody They each deposited $7,000. My children have modeled for children’s clothing lines, toy companies, and hospitality campaigns in my work as a commercial and advertising photographer, so the money is considered their earned income.

We decided to start Investing for Kids last year because, through conversations with friends, we realized that we all wished topics like taxes, saving for retirement, and smart investing had been taught in high school or earlier. We decided not to wait and agreed to start teaching these concepts as soon as our children could understand the basics.

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