I went to the credit union today to deposit my Christmas bonus. I waited my turn behind a boy who was about four years old. In one hand he held a wad of cash, and in the other he held his account information. His parents watched from the side of the lobby.
“Why, hello,” said the teller when she saw the boy. He walked purposely to the counter. She leaned over and looked down at him. “What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I need to make a deposit,” he said. He stood on tip-toes, reaching up with the money and the account information.
“You need a stool,” the teller said, laughing. The boy looked around. He set his money and his account information on the ground, walked to a nearby desk, and began tugging on a chair. We laughed — his parents, the teller, and I. His father helped him move the chair, and then went to stand by his wife again. The boy climbed onto the chair. “Now I can see you better,” said the teller.
“I need to make a deposit,” the boy said. He handed his money and account information to her.
“Let’s see what you have here,” she said. “That’s a lot of money,” she announced after counting it.
“Yeah,” said the boy. “I’m saving it. I’m gonna be rich!” The teller laughed.
The boy’s parents came to stand by his side. His father tousled his hair, obviously proud. His mother whispered, “Can you give him five one-dollar bills? We want him to have a little spending money.”
The teller finished processing the transaction and asked, “Would you like a receipt, sir?”
“Yes,” said the boy. He took his money and his receipt, and then climbed down. “Thank you,” he said, looking back at the teller. He helped his father push the chair back to the proper desk, and then the family went on their way.
“He’s off to a good start in life,” I told the teller as she took my money.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, he is.”
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That is the cutest story. I hope my kids will one day be like that.
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Fantastic! I love hearing positive stories like this one. That’s a bold child…I was far too introverted to pull that off infront of so many people. Sounds like he has a bright future ahead of him
After reading the credit woes from the “links for 2006-12-20″ posting, this was refreshing.
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That was a cool story–thanks for posting.
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Hee hee! That’s too cute! He got back $5 in ones? How much money did he have, anyway? When I was 4, $5 would have been almost inconceivable, but he obviously had quite a bit more than that.
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My 8-year-old Nick has an account at our credit union. I was there depositing some checks on Saturday and Nick was with me. He had seven dollars with him, and decided to deposit two of them. No prompting from me. I think he’s getting the idea about savings accounts.
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This sort of overambitious parenting can backfire—like you don’t want to be the stereotypical dork/”mama’s boy” in middle school. Just a thought; I’m sure most people can be both overachievers & socially adept at the same time.
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Oh that is just amazing! I’d have been far to shy to have done such a thing at such a young age. It’s nice to see that he is learning such good habits at a young age.
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You forgot the part where the teller signs him up for a variable rate personal line of credit. It’s never too early to start the debt snoball.
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Brock, I don’t actually know how much he was depositing. That was never made clear. I couldn’t tell from what he was holding, and neither the parents nor the teller ever said the figure out loud…
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Great Story. Now if I could just get him to join the “Million Dollar Savings Club”… LOL
- Bryan
http://www.BryanCFleming.com
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That little kid was me at that age! Although my mom came up to the counter with me. Also, I never got any money back. I saved it all like a true little miser!
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Very touching. Thank you and happy holidays.
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There’s nothing cute about it all, it’s sick. Five year olds should be out playing, not counting money. Get a life you sad sad people.
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You obviously missed the point of the story Ian. No where was the child not playing outside in this story. Children should learn how to deal with real world issues like money management while given the luxury of playing outside. All parents should pave the way for their child’s success and future security. What I did get from this story is a very happy child making a real difference in his life before many of us have. And that’s all that matters-the kid’s happiness.
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I think that that kid’s gonna be pretty rich when he gets older. I know it because when I was ten I started saving my money. Now that I am twelve I have thousands in my bank account due to garage sales and babysitting. Ian, you obviously don’t have the brain capacity to look into the future!
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Young investing/saving – “something, and early”
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So cute. It made me smile.
Diana
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It is ignorant to say that he should be out playing and not counting money. He probably does play.
He is getting training early.
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