From The Motley Fool · Motley Fool Staff · · 2m
September 2026 Mailbag: 16 Years Old to 25 Years Foolish
Young investor shares how early investing builds time freedom.
In brief
Young investor shares how early investing builds time freedom. A 16-year-old German student finds investing through Rule Breaker Investing helps him build time freedom for the future. Originally reported by The Motley Fool.
16-year-old German student
A 16-year-old from Rottenburg am Neckar in Germany writes to thank David Gardner for Rule Breaker Investing book.
“I'm a 16-year-old guy from Germany”
Time freedom goal
He wants to build a life with time freedom for family and meaningful activities after having kids.
“I want to build a life where I'm not stuck working all day but actually have time for family, freedom, and the things that matter”
Investing early
He's already investing with his dad in Trader 2026, a stock market game hosted by Societe Generale.
“I'm already investing a bit together with my dad”
Book impact
His dad gave him Rule Breaker Investing book, which changed his view of reading and learning.
“Through your book, I really discovered reading for the first time”
Key quote
He cites the quote: 'You miss 100% of the shots you never take'.
“You miss 100% of the shots you never take”
Action steps
He recommends investing early, spending time with inspiring people, and reading books to build time freedom.
“I think you already know how I'm going to answer this. I'm going to say investing, because truly, at your age”
Book recommendations
He suggests Atomic Habits and Getting Things Done for mindset development and time management.
“I would recommend Atomic Habits and Getting Things Done”
Indexing debate
A listener asks whether indexing makes more sense now than ever in a fast-changing world.
“Would it make sense now more than ever to tilt one's portfolio even more toward indexing?”
Indexing benefits
Indexing has a self-cleansing mechanism that automatically adjusts portfolio weight as companies rise and fall.
“The index has a self-cleansing mechanism built in so that when one company rises, it automatically becomes an ever larger percentage of one's portfolio”
Indexing risks
More indexing leads to more 'big dumb money' that can be beaten by active stock pickers.
“The more people index, the more big dumb money is in the system just sloshing around”
Stock picking
Active stock picking can be stressful but creates opportunities for finding undervalued companies.
“If the world keeps changing faster with new technologies, it can be stressful, and can you and I keep up?”
Portfolio balance
A listener describes a 25% personal stocks and 75% managed account portfolio strategy.
“I've now moved about 25% of the funds in my account”
Portfolio performance
The listener's portfolio shows 31% return after six years while managed account shows 105%.
“After six years, my portfolio shows up 31% and my managed account shows up 105%”
Legacy focus
The listener emphasizes teaching children about investing through stories and principles rather than just stocks.
“I'd want them to inherit more than the securities, the investments, the stocks themselves”
Investing advice
The listener recommends balancing personal stock picking with managed accounts based on individual preferences.
“If you find that you're winning with your stocks, start bumping up that 25% and bumping down to managed”
Market trends
The listener notes that technology changes are accelerating, making stock picking more challenging.
“The world keeps changing faster with new technologies”
Investing conclusion
The listener concludes that investing early builds time freedom and financial independence for the future.
“I think you already know how I'm going to answer this. I'm going to say investing, because truly, at your age”
What it means
A 16-year-old German student finds investing through Rule Breaker Investing helps him build time freedom for the future.
