Patrick DeBattista - Finance For You

The US just launched something Malta should have done years ago:

Every child born between 2025 and 2028 gets a $1,000 investment account at birth. It goes into an index fund of choice, grows tax-advantaged and stays in the child's name until they turn 18.

This isn't a left or right idea. In 2002, Tony Blair's Labour did the same in the UK with the Child Trust Fund. Now Trump's Republicans have pulled it off.

Two governments about as far apart as you can get shared one idea: to give every child a head start from day one.

I proposed a similar measure for Malta one year ago, which I discussed with Roberta Metsola. The country's Opposition placed a variant of it in their manifesto.

The numbers speak for themselves: $1,000 invested in a low-cost index fund 18 years ago would be worth $8,000 today.

Every Maltese child deserves to start life already invested.

I'm open to speaking with the government or anyone in the public sector on this and other measures that will benefit us and generations to come.

If you have our citizens' and our children's financial future at heart, drop me a line.

Money isn’t just about paying bills or investing.

It’s also about creating memories and enjoying the things that matter to you.

That’s why I built a system that gives every euro a job.

In my online Money Management Bootcamp on 6th and 10th August, I’ll show you how to build that same system so you can take control of your money with confidence.

Book your place through the link in my bio or visit www.patrickdebattista.com.

Only 12 spots available.

Disclaimer: Not financial advice.

5 things that are always worth spending money on if you want to build real wealth.

Most people focus on cutting small expenses while ignoring the decisions that actually move the needle.

Build an emergency fund. Invest consistently in low cost index funds. Look after your health. Stop worrying about the occasional coffee and start paying attention to hidden investment fees. Most importantly, invest in financial education because knowledge compounds just like money.

Which of these do you already prioritize, and which one will you start today?

Follow for practical money advice that helps you build wealth without the hype. Save this post for later and share it with someone who needs to see it.

Vanguard just surveyed 2,000 adults on why people don't invest, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

58% of people who invest grew up in a home where money was openly discussed. Among non-investors, this was below 38%.

The biggest predictor of whether you invest has little to do with your salary or education. It's whether you spoke about it at your kitchen table.

And it shows in where people start:

•⁠ ⁠Gen Z's most common first investment is crypto
•⁠ ⁠Gen X's is individual shares
•⁠ ⁠ETFs and funds barely feature for either.

So the first taste of investing becomes wild swings and checking prices every morning.

If you get burned early, which is likely, tell me whether you’ll continue investing.

Two more findings worth mentioning:

•⁠ ⁠71% of investors said it was easier than they expected
•⁠ ⁠74% wish they had started sooner

Meanwhile, only 15% of savers see any risk in leaving money in cash 🤷

This is exactly why I run my Masterclasses: To hold the conversations most of us never had at home.

And if you work in public office and have our children's financial future at heart, let's work to change our country for the better.

Why do you think people don't invest?

FIFA is about to break its own rules. And it has nothing to do with football.

For the first time ever, the World Cup final will have a 30-minute halftime show, featuring Coldplay, Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber and BTS.

FIFA's own "Laws of the Game" cap halftime at 15 minutes. Yet the judge, jury and executioner is doubling it anyway.

The sheer scale of this decision is immense:

One 30-second ad spot in a big World Cup match sells for over $1 million. The Super Bowl charges $8 million for 30 seconds, with a much smaller audience (the World Cup final will reach one billion people).

So double the halftime and you double the ad slots. Those 15 extra minutes will be worth many millions.

And in FIFA's language, time is literally money.

This follows other "side hustles" for FIFA, such as having 48 teams instead of 32 and hydration breaks that double as ad breaks.

Every decision squeezes more commercial value out of a football match.

So here's the question: is FIFA growing the game we love, or slowly turning it into a 90-minute plus advert?