Money on the mind

Like many commuters heading into the city, Lemuel sat quietly on the Metra Rail on Tuesday morning as he thumbed through the New York Times.

But as a 12-year-old from Aurora, his early morning trip carried a much different purpose than other business suit-clad riders.
Lemuel, along with nine other youth from Jericho Circle, took in the Windy City with money on their mind.
As part of Triple Threat’s Money in Motion program, the 10 youngsters got an in-depth look at the world of finance from an ultra-knowledgeable group of professionals.
Back in the Metra car and barely 8 a.m., Lemuel’s mood graced his sleeve.
“I was up until 4 a.m. reading a book,” he admitted, exemplifying the group’s thirst for knowledge.

A visit to four different places in Chicago provided ample opportunity for Jericho youth to obtain the financial knowledge they sought. The trip included stops to Charles Schwab, the Federal Reserve, the Chicago Board Options Exchange and Nike’s Midwest Region Headquarters.
Leumuel said that in the past, any money he saved usually found its way to the corner store on candy.
Money in Motion has already changed his spending habits – he’s trading in his piggy bank for a bank account.
“Once I hit the legal age, I’m going to apply for a job,” Lemuel said. “I want to get a little money and save it up so I have money to pay for college.”
Lemuel said that after college, he doesn’t want to rely on anyone else to pave his way.
He wants to buy a house.
CJ also took home some valuable lessons. A few months from entering high school, CJ is already looking into his financial future.
He took note of every detail, from Nike’s marketing strategy to the advantage of investment over saving.
“It taught me a lot of things dealing with money,” he said.

Volunteer for this: volunteer@triplethreat.org