Published 5/11/2022

Astray in the Wizard World?

Solana, Ethereum and Robinhood — two wizards from Hogwarts and a jovial hunter visiting from the Sherwood forest? Not at all! Welcome to the new digital economy. A world that most of us parents know very little about, yet the world in which our children spend their days without the slightest notion of what money actually is.

We teach our kids all sorts of things in order to prepare them for life. The earlier we set their habits the better. Kids absorb things like sponges. We all know that. When it comes to money however, many of us have given up on the idea to make our kids savvy with their economy. Without cash in our homes it has become increasingly difficult to handle the day to day family economy — dole out allowances, celebrate a lost tooth or compensate for a well mowed lawn. Most kids don’t get in touch with money until around the age of 11 when they get their first debit card (if they are lucky). A magic wand of sorts…

Point to the terminal, get a milkshake! Boom!

Much like Harry Potter’s Confundo-spell confuses his opponent to make mistakes (Did he just give me his Milkshake…?) spending has become a zero friction reality. You only feel great about it!

There are a handful of apps that aim to give young people a way of relating to their economy. And that handful are not exactly on par with the games and interactive experiences the youngsters spend large parts of their lives in. The recipe looks something like this:

Create a traditional digital bank experience. Add some pink. Add another secondary pastel color. Add a dodgy animal illustration to the mix. Done.

While the digital transformation went from the simplicity of Pong to the magical worlds of Minecraft it simultaneously transformed money from lovely looking notes and coins into a boring number hidden in an Excel-like experience.

We struggle over generations to build up wealth. Hard labor, long hours, coffee and vodka to relieve the pain, and all we get in return is a number. A potent number if we are lucky, but still. How do you deal with a grandchild who just inherited your number and wants to spend it entirely on buying new hats, pets or multipliers in Roblox?

We have to get this right and set the kids up for a decent understanding of what money is — how you make it, why you spend it and how to take care of it. They are entering a reality that is more complex than ever and we need to empower them with meaningful tools before they end up together with their parents in the wizard world where Robin Hood will not come for rescue.

Our goal is to make kids understand their economy and get ready for a complex economical future. We do that by adding the power of fun because at the end of the day — fun motivates mastery.

Curious and ambitious? Join us!