Why More Teenagers Are Learning to Invest Like Wall Street Pros

Brokerage firms, including major players such as Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab, are increasingly courting teenagers, rolling out investment accounts, incentives, and trading platforms in a push to capture the next generation of investors early.

The most recent entrant into the teen market is Charles Schwab, which launched a Schwab Teen Investor account in March for those between 13 to 17 years old. The account is structured as a joint brokerage account with a parent or legal guardian, and comes with no minimum deposit, no commissions on listed equity trades, and no account fees.

The new accounts come as Gen Z has shown an exploding interest in Wall Street, driven by social media influencers and finance-focused apps. A recent survey shows that 70% of teens aged 13-17 expressed a high interest in investing. Youth-focused trading platforms, such as Greenlight, also have seen major growth. Teens and kids invested $70 million in 2025, a 65% increase in trading year over year, according to Greenlight.

At Babson College, Professor of Practice Patrick Gregory has noticed the increased interest firsthand.

Gregory will be teaching Inside Wall Street: How Investors Find Winning Stocks, beginning in June. The popular one-week course for rising high school juniors and seniors—part of The Arthur M. Blank School Summer Program for High School Students—introduces students to the analytical tools and decision-making frameworks used by professional investors.

“Students will learn more than just theory,” said Gregory, also the managing director of the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance. “They’ll get an interactive introduction into the world of investing that will keep them engaged.”

Hands-on Approach to Investing

Gregory said teens should move beyond the “meme stock” culture and speculative trading content that dominates much of social media finance discourse. Instead, students will learn how institutional investors evaluate companies, analyze financial statements, and build disciplined investment theses.

Inside Babson’s Cutler Center, students use professional-grade platforms including Bloomberg and FactSet to research public companies and test investment ideas. Working in teams, they will analyze real businesses and present stock pitches modeled after those used by hedge funds and mutual funds.

“This isn’t a ‘sit and listen’ class,” Gregory said. “Students learn how to conduct primary research and leverage resources like Bloomberg to arrive at data-driven investment decisions.”

The program also gives students direct access to investment professionals who will discuss how Wall Street actually operates, an experience Gregory said helps demystify the industry while emphasizing rigor over hype.

What students should not expect are “get-rich-quick schemes,” he added. “We focus on rigorous, institutional-grade fundamental investing rather than speculative trading tips.”

Four Investing Tips for Teens

Gregory also is the faculty director of the Babson College Fund, in which Babson students manage $8 million of the College’s endowment. He offered four suggestions for teens interested in investing, or a career in finance:

1. Read a few transcripts of company earnings calls, or study the investor relations section of a well-known brand, such as Apple or Nike, to see how those companies talk to their investors.
2. Listen to “We Study Billionaires,” a podcast that explores the frameworks used by legendary investors such as Warren Buffett and Howard Marks.
3. Start reading The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg daily and pick two or three companies in industries you find interesting to follow.
4. Read “How to Read Financial Statements,” a free, online primer on income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow.

Gregory’s class, which offers additional insights for teens interested in the stock market, is just one of Babson’s immersive pre-college experiences available this summer.

Summer at Babson, the summer program at the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership, offers online and in-person programs for high school students interested in entrepreneurship, business, leadership, and innovation. Designed around Babson’s signature Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology, these programs give students hands-on experience, while exposing them to college-level coursework and professional environments.