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Episode 036: Financial Literacy, Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Teens with Whitney Webb

July 11, 2018

Financial literacy, leadership and entrepreneurship for teens

In this episode, we’re talking with Whitney Webb. She is co-founder of Launch Generation, which produces unique summer programs for teenagers focused on financial literacy, leadership and entrepreneurship. She’s also the founder of Launch Education which provides private financial, philanthropic and entrepreneurial education for the next generation and their families. Whitney shares her path to this work and why teaching financial literacy is so important.

If you’re a parent wondering what you can do today to begin teaching your kids financial literacy, here are Whitney’s top recommendations:

  1. Help them open a checking account
  2. Guide them in creating and managing a budget
  3. Start building their credit
  4. Expose them to resources and talk about what they’re learning

You can find Whitney at launch-generation.com.

If you like this topic, you might also find value in:

  • Raising Financially Smart Children: 52 Fun Activities for Your Family to Try This Year (PDF download)
  • Episode 025: 10 Ways to Set Your NextGen Up for Success in the Family Enterprise
  • Episode 015: Beyond the Piggy Bank with Father, Author, and Entrepreneur Clint Greenleaf
  • Episode 013: Raising Children to Be Amazing Business Owners with Paige Cornetet
  • Episode 012 Raising Kids with Generous Genes with Susan Crites Price
  • Episode 010: 10 Things My Family Did to Engage Us in Philanthropy

Guest Bio:

Whitney Webb, launch generationWhitney Webb has been working with teens and young adults since 2012 in the areas of financial, philanthropic, and entrepreneurial education. Prior to starting Launch Generation, she was the Director of Operations at Independent Means, a private company educating and preparing families for the responsibilities and challenges of wealth transfer. 

Before her work in financial education, Whitney was a Kiva Fellow in Kigali, Rwanda where she worked to strengthen partnerships and increase the reach of microfinance through employee training and industry research. 

Whitney has led several volunteer educational programs including financial literacy training in Cambodia and Rwanda, and led and developed a parallel conference track for teens and kids of delegates at Opportunity Collaboration, an international convening of leaders in social change and innovation. She is currently a board member and volunteer business mentor at Youth Interactive, a non-profit teen center in Santa Barbara working to promote leadership and entrepreneurial skills. She has been a speaker and panelist at the FOX Wealth Advisor Forum, Youth Philanthropy Connect Conference, and the Hawaii Tax Institute.

In this episode:

  • Meet Whitney (1:50)
  • About Launch Generation (14:22)
  • Why is financial literacy important to your audience? (20:14)
  • How did you learn financial literacy? (25:18)
  • What changes do you see working with youth? (26:32)
  • Learning the language of finance (30:20)
  • What should parents be doing to prepare their kids? (32:21)
  • Lessons learned (39:21)
  • What’s next for you? (41:20)
  • Favorite resources (42:38)
  • Bonus questions (46:39)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

  • Launch Generation
  • Launch Education
  • Raising Financially Fit Kids by Joline Godfrey
  • Kiva.org
  • Mint.com
  • Ynab.com
  • Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz
  • Nerd Wallet
  • Opportunity Collaboration

Notable & Quotable:

Whatever side of the economic spectrum you’re on, it doesn’t really matter. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to use our resources to make the best lives for ourselves and our families. —Whitney Webb


Our main focus is on preparing teens for an independent future through our three tenants of financial literacy, leadership and entrepreneurship. —Whitney Webb


I love the idea of dreaming big and coming up with great business ideas, but what if they’re not sustainable?  What of the numbers just don’t add up? —Whitney Webb


We teach how to budget and why budgeting is important, understanding credit and how to properly use debt. —Whitney Webb


When it comes to financial literacy, we’re not exposing the next generation to the right things. They don’t feel comfortable asking questions and don’t know what questions to ask. —Whitney Webb


When it comes to teaching financial literacy, don’t treat your child like a child. —Whitney Webb


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Want more of Successful Generations? Check out our other episodes: 

Bonus Episode: Power20—My Reflect and Connect Challenge
Episode 035: Great Governance for Your Investment Committee with Becky Wood
Episode 034: Trapped in the Family Business with Dr. Michael Klein, Part 2
Episode 033: Trapped in the Family Business with Dr. Michael Klein, Part 1
Episode 032: Spendthrift or Tightwad with Dr. Scott Rick
Episode 031: Impact Investing with Jennifer Oertel
Episode 030: Holistic Weight Management with Cynthia Damaskos
Episode 029: Giving Back Through Giving Circles with Dr. Jason Franklin
Episode 028: The Family Business Podcast with Russ Haworth
Episode 027: The Power of Mindset with Dr. Nancy Jonker
Episode 026: Reflections from Four Decades in Philanthropy with Rob Collier
Episode 025: Power20—10 Ways to Set Your NextGen Up for Success in the Family Enterprise
Episode 024: Pump it Up! Strength Training and Leadership Development
Episode 023: Leadership Development and Agility with Greg McCann
Episode 022: Getting Started in Philanthropy with Colleen Mitchell
Episode 021: Taking Over the Family Business with Mitchell Kaneff
Episode 020: Women and Wealth w/ Adrienne Penta
Episode 019: The Allyn Family 2.0, Part 2
Episode 018: The Welch Allyn Family Business Story with Eric Allyn (4th Gen), Part 1
Episode 017: Achieving Your Goals through MasterMind and Peer Groups
Episode 016: Reframing Limiting Beliefs with Ellie Frey Zagel
Episode 015: Beyond the Piggy Bank with Father, Author, and Entrepreneur Clint Greenleaf
Episode 014: More Awareness and Less Stress through Yoga
Episode 013: Raising Children to be Amazing Business Owners with Paige Cornetet
Episode 012: Generous Genes with Susan Crites Price
Episode 011: Digging into the Family Business Landscape with Daniel Van Der Vliet
Episode 010: 10 Things My Family Did to Engage us in Family Philanthropy
Episode 009: Stress Management and Holistic Health with Cynthia Damaskos
Episode 008: Family, Fights and Ferry Tales with Chris Shepler
Episode 007: Raising Financially Responsible Kids Through the Holidays (and Beyond)
Episode 006: Join the Philanthropic Revolution with Michael Moody
Episode 005: Estate Planning 101 aka Estate Planning is Not Optional with Susan Gell Meyers 
Episode 004: Ginny Esposito – Engaging your Family in Family Philanthropy
Episode 003: Leadership, Wellness, and Concierge Medicine with Dr. Bill Baer
Episode 002: Douglas D Box, Texas Patriarch – A Legacy Lost
Episode 001: About Your Host Ellie Frey Zagel

Learn more about Successful Generations:

FB: @SuccessfulGenerations
Twitter: @EllieFreyZagel
Email: ellie@successfulgenerations.com
Instagram: SuccessfulGenerations


Have a topic suggestion?

If you are the next generation of family business, philanthropy and wealth, and have a topic you think we should discuss, let us know at Ellie@successfulgenerations.com.

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Leadership Development

Ellie Frey Zagel

Ellie Frey Zagel is 3rd Generation, Vice Chair and Trustee of her family’s foundation the Frey Foundation based in Grand Rapids, MI. For nearly a decade she has been deeply involved in working with the next generation of family business, family philanthropy, and family wealth, first as Director of the Family Business Alliance and now as President of Successful Generations, a company she recently founded.

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