"I didn't think I could do this." Big Dreams do come true Fishing was always his favorite thing. Now, he's done it! "That's gonna cost ya" she would say... "Never, Never Give Up!" he cheered...

This is the story of how exposing my Little Sister to a simple rule-of-thumb un-bottled a financial genie!

I had a conflict one evening that I was to spend with my Little Sister, Vanessa. I had accidentally booked myself to attend a financial seminar a friend was presenting at a local hotel - one of those things where they feed you in exchange for you listening to their pitch for an hour or so. I called Vanessa to apologize and tell her we needed to pick a different day. She was disappointed and asked if she could come to ‘my meeting' and then we could go do something. I was surprised a thirteen year-old girl really wanted to do that, but after a pause... I said, "Sure!"

We arrived at the hotel meeting room and chose our seats. Vanessa can get the fidgets so I wanted to stay near the back, which, unfortunately also meant staying near the food (we both get the munchies). We filled our plates with the buffet items and the presentation began. Within moments, it seemed, Vanessa was up to get more food. For a while I was concerned that her frequent trips would cause too much distraction for my friend, the presenter, and the other attendees. I was going to say something to her, but became interested in the presentation. Suddenly, realizing I was quite caught up in things, I looked around quickly to see where Vanessa was. I felt a start as I looked at the food table and back of the room and didn't see her. Then realized she was in her seat... eyes glued to the presentation screen. Looking at the screen myself, I had no idea the adventure that was being planted by "the rule of 72."

For those of you not familiar (I now am all too familiar) the ‘rule of 72' is a quick way to see how money grows in an investment, based on the rate of return (‘interest rate'). Here's how it works: Take the rate of return (interest) for an investment, divide it into 72, and the resulting number represents a close approximation of the years it will take for a lump sum of money to double in value. So if you put $1,000 dollars in an investment that earns 6%, you would have $2,000 in 12 years (because 72 divided by 6 equals 12). You can visit http://www.moneychimp.com/features/rule72.htm for a real explanation. And it get's pretty impressive when you look at a few thousand at something like 12% over a lot of years.

OK, BACK TO THE FUN PART of my story...
Well, this totally captivated Vanessa for some reason. (Not to say I'm not thrilled - but just wait).
Later, in the car on the way to the movie, she was silent in the passenger seat with her fists upturned, fingers extending one at a time in a rhythmic pattern that told me she was counting.
"So how many millions are you up to?" I asked with a smile.
"The $20 dollars you just spent on gas would be worth one thousand, two hundred and... eight... eighty dollars in 36 years ...when you're old" she said - emphasizing the last part with a jabbing smile.
"Oh nice!" I replied. "So how did you figure that out?"
"72 Rule, 12 % - it's forty, eighty, one-sixty, three-twwwwenty, six-forty, twelve-eighty - doubles six times in thirty six years... 12%" she rattled off in an authoritative - even cocky way. I was blown away! I had certainly known Vanessa was perfectly smart, but never seen this sort of thing from her. "Super!" I said, not quite knowing the genie that was being unlocked.

By the end of that first evening, I was informed of the retirement I had lost in buying gas, movie tickets, snacks on the way home, and a pair of shoes (actually from two days prior). It totaled thousands of dollars! Fairly depressing. ;^) Still, I was impressed by the way Vanessa rattled those numbers through her head and out her lips with such confidence. For many more weeks we would calculate how much things were worth in Rule of 72 terms. How may times did I hear "that's gonna cost ya!" when she learned of a new purchase. It was a bit challenging, but worth it when Vanessa started to calculate things based on HER age and when she ‘would be old.' The numbers got crazy big - but I new she was thinking of her future in a fun, empowering way.

Vanessa lives with her elderly grandfather. He's a dear man who lost his wife years ago. I know he does all he can for her, and loves her; but I don't know that he has many dreams of his own. I sometimes fear she is not learning how to dream. This helped change that... if only a little... for one Little girl.

I'm eager to expose her hungry mind to more things. I don't have to do the teaching or preaching, just the driving... ;^)

Thanks for listening to our story and for working with BBBS to make it possible,
Deanna, Big Sister.