I don't expect kids across the country to bypass Mickey Mouse for Lou Rukeyser. It's hard to get excited about investing when you don't have any money. So in addition to buying kids more stuff this holiday season, let's invest for them. Believe it or not, some mutual funds still let you in the door with a few hundred dollars in hand. Both funds carry above-average expenses, though.
Parents can invest part of their children's allowances in mutual funds.
Better yet, they can encourage kids to set aside something themselves each month, promising to match any investments they make. Heck, that's free money to them. You might suggest that children read these books when they have open reading assignments from their teachers or have a book-reading quota to meet. This book wasn't written expressly for kids, but its easily skimmed structure and ample graphics make it a good read for new investors 12 and older. Authors Kenneth M. Morris, Virginia B. Morris, and Alan M. Siegel cover the history of money and money flow, what stocks are and how they are traded, and how bonds and mutual funds work.