A typical high school senior isn’t very knowledgeable about the intricacies of the stock market and the economy as a whole. According to a recent poll from Gallup, though the stock market has climbed far above pre-crash levels, the combined percentage of adults younger than 35 with money in the stock market in 2017 and 2018 stands at 37%, down from 52% for people in that age range in the two years before the crash. Almost half of 25 to 34-year-olds said they can’t afford to invest. This is a problem because people who start investing at a young age have more time to generate returns that will help them accomplish their financial goals. Senior Jack Rosenthal does not fit this alarming narrative.

Jack Rosenthal, who has been a student at Hackley since sixth grade, has been tremendously involved in personal finance and the stock market as a whole. Jack has relished interacting with the stock market daily, maturing and learning its tricks. 

“My grandfather inspired me to get into investing,” he said.“When I was eight years old he set up my first stock portfolio for me and showed me how to navigate it. He has taught me about investing ever since. 

Jack, with all of his knowledge regarding the stock market and investing, has decided to help others begin controlling their own finances in the form of a book. 

Teen Investing: The Ultimate Guide to Teenage Investing gives readers a starting point to grow their investment portfolio. 

“What motivated me to write the book is that I have always had a strong passion and interest in investing and many times other teenagers have asked me specific questions about the market (all kinds of different categories and questions about investing) and I figured putting the answers all in one book would be a very good way to consolidate all that knowledge and share it with others,” Jack said.

Jack’s book is sectioned into eleven different chapters. He begins by discussing a general overview of what investing is. As the book progresses, he delves into more complex concepts and discusses different types of assets. He follows this with a brief discussion of what to look for when investing and his personal tips. He ends the book by defining many of the terms and metrics used in economics.

The book also sports a flashy and intriguing cover design that gives potential buyers a preview about what the book entails. 

“Not only am I an investor but I also like to cut costs,” says Jack when speaking about the art. 

“Most people pour a lot of money into publishing a book and designing a cover. Due to the fact that I am extremely resourceful, I was able to do it for much cheaper than the average cost. I went on a site called Fiverr, an online site where you can commision designs and graphics for relatively cheap, and had my book cover both designed and edited.” 

The cover is one of the many reasons that Jack’s book has hit the ground running.

“One of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome was teaching myself how to self-publish a book on Amazon to be economical. I am proud to be able to call myself a published author,” said Jack when asked about the challenges he faced in the writing process.

Jack is also the leader of the Young Investors Club, LLC, one of the largest teen-only investment clubs in the world. According to its website, the club was founded by Jack Rosenthal in 2015. The organization has over 80 members/investors and $100k+ in assets that they manage. 

Jack, however, is much more passionate about his book. His target is teenagers and people in their early 20s. He feels that if teenagers learn about the stock market at an early age, they will be better set up for the future when they invest. Teenagers and millennials lose out on a substantial amount of money when they don’t invest, Yahoo states. 

Jack is currently content with his book, explaining that “the book has had an extremely positive response, much greater than I had expected.” Teen Investing: The Ultimate Guide to Teenage Investing is available now on Amazon.