The Real Exam Your Child Will Never See in School

Good morning, my friends. Please, sit. I am Dr. Celso. Not a medical doctor, but a financial doctor from Goa. And today, I want to talk to you not about your bank balance, but about your child's future. I want to tell you a story about the most important subject that is never taught.

The Day I Failed My Student

Last year, a brilliant young man came to see me. An engineer. First class marks, a top college. He showed me his offer letter with a salary that made his parents burst with pride. Then he showed me his credit card bills, his personal loans for a new phone and bike, and his empty bank account. He was drowning before his career had even begun.

His parents had said one thing his whole life: "Beta, just focus on your studies. We will handle everything else." They were wonderful, loving parents. But in protecting him from money, they had sent him into the world's toughest exam completely unprepared.

We spend 18 years preparing our children to earn money, and not a single day teaching them how to keep it.

The Invisible Syllabus

Think of it like this. School teaches your child to catch a big fish—that is the job, the salary. But financial literacy teaches them how to clean it, cook it, make it last for many meals, and even use the bones to make soup. Without these skills, no matter how big the fish, it will spoil quickly.

I see families where the parents work tirelessly, saving every rupee for their child's engineering or medical degree. This is a beautiful sacrifice. But if that child grows up not understanding a budget, debt, or a simple investment, that hard-earned degree becomes just a tool to make money for a bank or a lender.

The world is set up to test their financial intelligence every single day. Advertisements will test their impulse control. Banks will test their understanding of debt. Friends will test their ability to say "no." Where is their textbook for this?

You Are Their First Finance Teacher

You do not need to be a stock market expert. Start with the language of money you already speak. When you save for a festival, explain why. When you choose one product over another in the market, explain the choice. When you pay an electricity bill, show them it's a priority.

Turn everyday life into a classroom. Give them a small allowance and let them make their own spending mistakes with it now, when the cost is a chocolate, not a car loan. Let them feel the pride of saving up for a toy. This is not being harsh; this is being loving. You are giving them armor.

The Lesson: Three Chapters to Start Today

Here is your simple syllabus. Start this conversation at dinner tonight.

1. Earned vs. Owned: Teach them that a high salary (earned income) is not wealth. Wealth is what you own—assets that work for you while you sleep, like a small investment or a savings account that grows.
2. The Debt Trap: Explain debt like sugar. A little for a special occasion (like a home) is okay. But too much, too often (like for gadgets or lifestyle), makes you very sick, financially.
3. Pay Yourself First: The moment they receive money, even a gift, teach them to put a part away before they spend. This one habit, started at 15, can make them crorepatis by 50.
4. Needs vs. Wants: A notebook for school is a need. The latest branded notebook is a want. Fulfill needs first, wants only with what is left.

A mark sheet gets them an interview, but financial wisdom gets them a life of freedom.