Money lessons don’t have to be complicated—they can start with a batch of cookies and a generous heart. In this episode our guest is Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of the nonprofit, Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF). Tim shares how real-world money moments spark big lessons about earning, saving, giving, and growing financial confidence for life.

Tim’s approach to financial education resonates with the way we think about money conversations at Aspiriant, empowering clients and their families to make informed, values-driven decisions. It’s not just about the numbers—it’s about building confidence, values, and decision-making skills that last a lifetime. Like Tim, we’ve seen how early exposure to real-world financial choices can shape a healthier relationship with money, whether it’s through a small job, a savings goal, or talking openly with family.

For more practical ways to build financial confidence, explore Four Financial Tips for Young Adults on Aspiriant’s blog, fathom, where our wealth managers share simple steps for saving, spending and investing early.

Tim is a co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance, a non-profit that believes all high school students deserve a high quality, engaging and relevant personal finance education prior to crossing that graduation stage (#Mission2030).

NGPF serves more than 130,000 educators reaching more than 5 million students with free curriculum, professional development and advocacy tools. The team’s efforts have led to 22 states passing laws that will guarantee a personal finance course to high school students with 30 states in total (76% of students) now guaranteeing the course.

Tim’s volunteer experience teaching a personal finance course at Eastside Prep (East Palo Alto) demonstrated how these lessons empowered students and their families too and inspired him to start NGPF.