Esther Jackson-Stowell invites her sons, Joseph and Gabe, to The Broker's Table. They offer a candid, unvarnished perspective on growing up with intentional financial education.

At the table

Esther and her sons explore the practicalities and challenges of teaching financial literacy, credit, and the value of work within a family.

What this conversation covers

• Children's earliest entrepreneurial ventures
• The distinction between "chores" and "life skills"
• Demystifying credit scores for young adults
• Navigating the "every conversation is a lesson" dynamic
• Preparing children for financial independence

A line worth keeping

Sometimes it feels like every conversation we have becomes a lesson.

Mentioned in this episode

• Joseph Jackson-Stowell
• Gabriel Jackson-Stowell
• The Broker's Table community, for women building faith, family, and lasting wealth

The Broker's Table is hosted by Esther Jackson-Stowell. New conversations on faith, family, and the kind of wealth that outlives you.

My friends think it's kind of weird that I know how to check my stocks, but low-key,

I think it's weird that they don't.

When I was younger, my dad made me put half of everything I earned into savings.

Now I'm making long-term plays with that money

This is what it actually looks like.

Welcome back to The Broker's Table, Legacy at the Table.

Today is a big day.

We're bringing in reinforcements.

Our sons are here with us, and they're going to tell you what this journey has

been like for them from their perspective.

Let's do introductions.

Boys, tell us who you are and something you want people to know about you.

Well, my name is Joseph, and I'm 17, and I'm into dancing and drawing,

and I've been hearing about money for as long as I've been a hustler.

My name's Gabe.

I'm 15.

I like hanging out with friends, and yes, our parents really make us do this stuff.

And they're still talking to us.

Boys, I want to be clear with our listeners.

You can be honest today.

If something we do annoys you, say it.

If you think we've gotten something wrong, say it.

This isn't about making us look good.

It's about showing people what this actually looks like.

Within reason.

We know.

We've been over the script before.

Good.

Then let's get into it.

Let's start at the beginning.

What's your earliest memory of understanding money?

This one time, me and Gabe snuck out of the house to go sell rocks

on the corner of the street.

When you were, like, four and- Four and two … two, I guess.

I don't remember when.

Gabe?

When we were, like, five or six, we washed people's cars in our driveway.

Using my water.

How did you feel about that at the time, Joseph?

I mean, if we made money, we made money.

It doesn't matter what we did.

We were, like, two.

Okay.

Do you remember what you were saving for?

Like, why did you make… why did you wanna make the money,

and what were you looking to buy?

Stuff at the convenience store.

At the convenience store.

It felt like a fun way to make money and just play with water.

True.

And was it more about sort of your autonomy, making your own money, and being

able to go to the store and buy something?

It felt good just being able to get what you wanted without having to ask.

Yeah, it was, like, backup for when you guys said no.

Okay, boys, let's talk about how we handle money in our house.

Do you guys just get an allowance?

Actually, it's called life skills- … because calling it a

chore makes it sound like a chore.

And what do you think about that system?

I don't really think calling it life skills does anything

extra than calling it a chore.

Mm-hmm.

But money is money, so what can you say?

Okay.

Gabe, how do you feel about having to pitch in around the house but knowing

that you're gonna get paid for it later?

It's annoying at times when I'm already doing something I wanna

do, but, like- Thinking about the money, it's nice to know that you

still get something in return.

And one of the lessons that we hope that you'll take from that is that your

time and your effort is worth something.

And, you know, mom likes to call it life skills, but it really is a skill.

Do you feel like you're better prepared to be independent

when you move out of the house?

I feel like I'm better at the dishes than the rest of my siblings.

Hey, a lot of people don't understand how to keep a house

clean, how to clean a toilet, how to stay on schedule with the trash.

So it truly is, they are truly life skills.

And one of the reasons why I felt like we needed to change that was because

I didn't want you guys to feel like we, you were doing this for us, for

our benefit, but it's for your benefit as well, so that when you grow up,

you know how to l- do these things, and then you can teach your children.

And very soon, you're gonna be out of the house very soon, Joseph,

so so you need to… That's, like, your s- your signature thing, huh?

So you need to know how to do these things, you know, when you go on a

mission, when you are in college.

I don't wanna stop by and visit you with garbage sitting there for days.

So these are truly good things for you guys to learn.

And then at the same time, you're earning, making a few bucks to

go to the store at lunch and buy yourself something that you want.

Gabe, do you know what a credit score is and why it's important?

It helps lenders know how good you are with your money.

And Joseph, we've talked about this.

What benefit is it to have a higher credit score?

It gives you access to money and favorable terms.

Do your friends know about these this stuff?

Yeah.

My friends have also taken financial literacy, so they know a bit about this.

Okay.

What about you, Gabriel?

My friends don't really focus on this kind of stuff.

They just ask their parents for money.

What do you wish you knew more about?

Is there anything that you wish you understood better?

I wish I knew more options to earn and grow my money while

I'm still in high school.

Honesty time.

What do you wish we did differently?

What annoys you about how we handle money education in our home?

Sometimes it feels like every conversation we have becomes a lesson.

I just wanna buy something, and it turns into a whole thing.

That's fair.

Anything else, Joseph?

You should just, like, give us money for being stud muffins.

Yes, you are.

You are definitely a stud muffin, as are you, Gabriel.

How much is that worth?

I have no idea Everything.

Everything is a good one.

It's priceless.

'Cause we- And because it's priceless- We could- … we can't put any number

on it right now … we could- So you just have to keep earning it.

We could calculate fair market rent for your bedrooms and access to the

kitchen and stuff- Yes … and we'll see what you're actually- Lodging

what your total compensation is … food.

I think you guys would be owing us.

Yeah.

So maybe we should We should do that.

You're not 18 yet.

Are we not studs?

You're not 18 yet.

You are a stud muffin- … but we still need to get paid.

We do agree that you guys are stud muffins, and we do agree that,

you probably should earn more.

So instead of us just giving you more, we can come up with

ways for you to earn that.

Okay?

So this is part of this conversation.

We can figure out ways for you, you two can come up with ways to help us assess,

the value that you feel you deserve.

As, aside I mean, it could just be for the stud muffin value, but

what what is that for you guys?

And then what do we get in return for that value?

I like what Gabe said about how everything seems like it turns into a lesson.

I feel that a little bit.

Hence, this podcast at the moment.

This, this whole conversation.

Right?

Mm-hmm.

But Joseph, what do you think our strategy is for turning, like, these,

these moments that might just seem normal or routine, but turning them into

lessons and having deeper conversations?

What, are we giving to you that you think might be helpful?

more information so we can teach it to our kids.

And when it turns philosophical, it's easy to remember in the future Okay.

I like that.

Yeah.

I sometimes think of, like, the memes that you might come up with about

anything is actually, the deepest truth about that thing, right?

So if, Gabe's like, "Gosh, every conversation's a lesson," that's

almost… That could be a meme.

Mm-hmm.

But I'd be- Like the blue door?

What's that?

What?

Like the blue door.

I don't know what that is.

How English teachers always come up with meanings.

They're like, "Why is the door blue?" Oh.

Okay.

But that could be a meme, and…

But to me, that's, like, a powerful meme.

Like, geez, every conversation we have, it's almost like in 20 years-

Mm-hmm … when you're teaching your kids or you're, you know, getting married

or something, you'd be like, "Yeah, it seems like every conversation we had

as a family was a lesson." And that's when you were younger, it was annoying,

but now it's, like, really powerful.

Because you're applying it and living it, but right now it's just annoying.

And we get it.

But we didn't have this when we were kids, you know, someone sitting down and talking

to us about how to, manage money or just even have money conversations, so this is

why we feel it's important to make sure that you guys have this so that you can

avoid the mistakes that we went through.

I think as parents, you're always trying to give your kids as much

information and as much value so that they can live a better life, and

that's what we're doing here today.

So annoyance aside, it will impact your life and put you ahead of your

peers because you will walk into adulthood knowing how to manage things

and how to live in a way that allows you to enjoy life but also, , be

responsible, be fiscally responsible.

So, and then Joseph said, you wish… Basically you wish

you could earn more, right?

Mm-hmm.

By just being a stud muffin.

By just your sheer being.

Get that clear.

I actually like that because you're thinking like, "How can I maximize

my value?" This stud muffin-ness.

And even… And Gabe mentioned it too.

How can he maximize his earnings now?

They might seem little or might, might be like a small nest egg, but you're,

you're kinda thinking in the right way.

How can I get more out of life and build more?

And that's a really good instinct to have.

I mean, there are some, there are some passive things you can implement,

and there are some active things, and we'll probably get into more detail

in some future episodes, and I know these things are also in the workbook.

But you both know that you have life insurance policies that are gaining in

value constantly, right, like right now.

We talked about your stocks earlier.

You have stock accounts that they could be gaining in value, they could

be losing in value, but the more you pay attention and learn about those

companies, you can pick the right ones so that they tend to be gaining in value.

You also have us do jobs on the side.

Like, you have me take photos for your properties.

Yeah.

And you happen to be taking photography at school right now, and it's just

a perfect fit because you can edit those photos for me, and I can

actually use it for what I'm doing.

And you get paid, right?

What about you, Joseph?

You have me take virtual tours of your properties, and I edit them

so they're seamless and smooth.

Yeah.

So I learned that both of you had skills that I needed, and it was a perfect

fit because I'm always with you guys.

And when I'm going to these properties to take a look at them, you guys are

part of that process with me, so you get to not only see what I do, but

you also get to be a huge part of it.

And your videos and your photos have been used, so you actually

have work out there that is being, displayed for everyone else to see.

So one of the things that I saw in you was that you were, creating your videos for

your dances, and you were editing them.

And I thought, "This is fantastic.

He's already working on this.

Why not just get him to do my videos?" And you've taken them

and done a great job with them.

So there are jobs that you can do at your age that isn't a 9:00 to 5:00 because

you have school, but there are definitely things out there that you can do to…

Like what you talked about, Gabriel, you wish you knew other ways to get money to

work for you or for you to do something while you're still in high school.

So those are ways.

And I'm glad that I'm able to use your skills for what we're

doing because then it's helping my business, but you're also learning

what I do, and it's just wonderful.

It's wonderful to be able to have you guys be a part of what I do and learn,

and then I get to learn from you too.

How do you feel about that?

I feel good because we get paid a good amount for what seems like not that

much work, and it benefits you a lot- Mm-hmm … because it's convenient,

and you probably pay us less than you would pay someone normally.

I most likely pay you less.

Yeah, but that's still- We're gonna have to talk about that

that's still a lot for us.

That's called- Oh, we, we need to have that discussion, right?

That's called a win-win.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

You're getting paid more than you would otherwise, and she's paying

someone less, so value all around.

Yes.

Here's what we've learned raising sons.

Boys thrive with structure, clear expectations, clear

consequences, clear rewards.

A lot of parents want to be their kids' friends.

I get that impulse, but that's not what the boys need at this time.

They need guides.

When it comes to money, that means we don't just hand over cash.

There's a system, there are expectations, and there's accountability.

Confidence comes from capability.

Entitlement, on the other hand, comes from getting things without earning them.

Our goal isn't to raise sons who expect money.

It's to raise sons who know how to create it, manage it, and use it wisely.

That takes years of practice, years of small decisions, years of accountability.

Here's something we emphasize.

Money is a tool for living out your values.

For our family, that includes generosity, responsibility,

and planning for the future.

So we don't just teach our boys how to get money.

We teach them the why behind it.

We teach them why they should want money, what they should do with their

money, and what kind of men they will become when they learn how to earn money

and how to use it in the right way.

Here's our specific approach.

There are three tiers.

Tier one, family responsibilities.

No pay.

You do these because you're part of the household.

Making your bed, cleaning up after yourself, basic contributions.

Tier two are the extra tasks.

So those are sometimes household chores, but oftentimes they're bigger projects.

For example, it might be washing the car.

It's not necessary to keep the household functioning smoothly, but it is a

value, so we give them opportunities to do those extra tasks for pay.

Tier three, and this is probably my favorite, entrepreneurial opportunities.

This is where they can create their own income, tutoring, services

for neighbors, small businesses.

So we also have a split system.

Every dollar that the boys earn gets split up into a few different categories.

Gabe mentioned earlier that it felt like half of his money went into savings.

Well, it felt like that because it was true.

Half of the money goes into savings, especially… This is

really important early on because they don't need the money.

So we put it away.

Savings, stock accounts, college funds, that sort of things.

It's untouchable by them for quite a while.

Then Esther mentioned this in an earlier episode.

We give, and at a minimum, that's 10%.

That's a tithe.

We pay tithes in our family.

We are believers in that.

We're, we're a family of faith, and we think it's important that they

understand that at least a tenth of their earning is going to charity.

So we set up that system for them.

That leaves them 30 to 40% to play with or grow on their own.

That's kind of their spending money.

But as we build these habits, they can find good things to do with that

leftover money that they have as well.

Absolutely.

This builds habits now that will serve them for life.

If you're raising sons, here's your homework this week.

First, as a group, define what are those things that are family responsibilities

versus those things that are paid work.

Be specific and write them down.

Second, open a youth savings account if you haven't already.

Most banks offer them.

The act of having their own account changes how kids think about money.

Third, give them some practice.

Now, this depends on how old your kids are, but one thing you could do is give

them 10 bucks and send them to the store, no boundaries, no supervision, and let

them figure out how to spend that money.

That gives you a really good conversation piece to talk about, that you can

understand what they're attracted to and how they would tend to spend their money.

Absolutely.

And finally, have a conversation about what kind of man they want to become.

Connect that vision to how they handle money.

Raising sons is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.

You know, the world has a definition of what masculinity looks like.

Our definition of masculinity is a blend of responsibility and discipline,

and it takes time to instill that discipline and teach that responsibility.

And I just wanna add something that hasn't come up Everything we're talking

about here is more powerful, or even it's the only way to do it is by modeling.

We have to model these behaviors that we're asking our, boys to, display.

And so for us, the most powerful masculinity comes from

discipline and responsibility.

To reiterate, define family responsibilities versus paid task.

Open a youth savings account, checking account.

Implement a split system, save, spend, give.

Research authorized user policies for your credit cards.

Have a values conversation.

What kind of men do you want to be?

Raising sons is a responsibility we don't take lightly.

The world has its definition of what masculinity looks like.

For us, it's a mix of responsibility and discipline, and that's really

what we're trying to instill here.

So responsibility for us is taking care of your people.

Absolutely.

Money is one way we teach that, not because money is everything,

but because how you handle money reveals what you value.

Boys, any final words for the parents listening?

Make sure to mention money when talking about chores.

My bad, life skills.

Don't be afraid to make your kids do stuff.

They might complain, but they'll be fine.

Are you fine though, Gabriel?

No.

Next week, the ladies will be in the house.

Episode four is about raising daughters with financial power and independence.

Our girls will be here, and yes, the conversation is different,

but the principles are the same.

Financial literacy is protection, and our daughters are going to be equipped.

Until then, teach your sons, model what you want them to become.

Legacy isn't accidental.

It's built on purpose.