How To Start Earning Money

The first job most of us have is doing chores at home, like cleaning, doing dishes, or yard work

Saving and investing for the future all starts with earning a little money. There are lots of ways to do it. The first money I ever made was the allowance my parents paid me each week for my chores. If I kept my room clean, made my bed, helped clean up after meals, and occasionally pitched in to help my mom or dad with a random job, they would pay me $2 at the end of each week. To tell the truth, I usually spent that on candy, but I was still in elementary school, so what do you expect.

As I got older, I started to like the idea of saving some of the money I made. Each week I would put the cash in my night stand and over time my $1 and $2 bills would start to pile up. When I got older, I got creative. I would ask my mom and dad if I would wash their cars. I would charge much less than it cost to take them to the car wash, but could still make $20 or more per car to clean it inside and out. Each summer, I would set up a lemonade and cookie stand in our neighborhood. I remember one year I made almost $80 in a few hours at my lemonade stand. When I turned 15 and was a freshman in high school, I started looking for part-time jobs that I could work one or two days after school and one day on the weekend. I was hired at a kid's clothing store, and now earn several hundred dollars a month. Here's what's most important, I save and invest at least half of the money I earn.

How do I invest the money I make? Other than a bank account, you might be wondering what you need to do be able to invest -- which means to buy stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other investments. More on that in my next post, "How to Open A Custodial Investment Account."

Thank you for reading!