# September 2026 Mailbag: 16 Years Old to 25 Years Foolish > Young investor shares how early investing builds time freedom. - Title: September 2026 Mailbag: 16 Years Old to 25 Years Foolish - Summary: Young investor shares how early investing builds time freedom. A 16-year-old German student finds investing through Rule Breaker Investing helps him build… - Keywords: rule breaker investing, investing, time freedom, stock market, young investor, germany, motley fool, rule breaker investing book, nvidia, indexing, stock picking, portfolio - Source: The Motley Fool — https://fool.com/investing/2026/10/23/september-2026-mailbag-16-years-old-to-25-years-foolish - Author: Motley Fool Staff - Published: 2026-10-23T14:26:44+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: rule breaker investing, investing, time freedom, stock market, young investor, germany, motley fool, rule breaker investing book, nvidia, indexing, stock picking, portfolio ## 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 ## Key takeaway A 16-year-old German student finds investing through Rule Breaker Investing helps him build time freedom for the future.