The Sound of Artillery

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Legacy Planning

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” thundered in the distance as we crawled into bed for the night.  As flashes highlighted the horizon, we could hear artillery firing in the distance.  The sounds were a little unnerving, but we knew they were soldiers training with their tanks on the firing range.  My wife and I, and our two young children, lived in a German village near a U.S. Army base in Bavaria where we worked.

The mission of the U.S. Army base was training, specifically in tank artillery.  Although the noise disrupted our nights, we understood the value of the training and eventually became accustomed to the sounds.  We realized that the soldiers’ training served an important purpose – to prepare them to pursue peace in future conflicts around the world. 

As parents, we also have an important purpose – to prepare our children for their future as adults.  In the Old Testament, Moses encouraged the Israelites to teach their children while sitting at home, while walking on the road, when lying down, and when getting up (Deuteronomy 11:9).  The training of our children, including teaching about money, should become a way of life as parents. 

One way to teach children about money is to open a custodial Roth account for them so they can see the power of investing through compound interest.  The child must be earning money (babysitting, lawn mowing, etc.) to open a Roth, but others can contribute to the Roth for the child.  When the child reaches adulthood, the control of the account is transferred to the child. 

Just as hearing the artillery firing became second nature to us, investing can become second nature to children if they are exposed to investing early in life.  And, just as the artillery training prepared soldiers for effective firing, investment training can instill in children life-long habits of being wise with money.

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

(208) 697-3699

doug@christianwm.com