Country of Residence
United States
Age
16
Project title
Caden Teaches Finance
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Caden Teaches is a youth financial literacy initiative focused on creating real change in communities by giving young people practical financial and entrepreneurship skills. Through interactive workshops, school programs, speaking engagements, and the Caden Teaches Financial Literacy Bus, the project has reached more than 70,000 students nationwide.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.cadenteaches.com/
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Scaling (We’re expanding impact to new locations or in new and innovative ways)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
I started Caden Teaches after attending speaking events and conferences with my dad, where I constantly heard people talk about financial literacy. At the time, I didn’t understand what it meant, so I took it upon myself to learn. Once I understood how important financial literacy was, I realized other kids needed to learn it too, but in a way that was simple and relatable.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many young people grow up without learning the basics of money, such as budgeting, saving, investing, and managing finances. I experienced this myself when I first heard about financial literacy and realized I didn’t understand what it meant. That showed me how important it is to introduce these skills early and make them easy for kids to understand. This matters to me because financial literacy can impact a person’s future, and I want to help give young people in my community the knowledge and confidence to make better financial decisions.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
I’m solving this problem by making financial education accessible, practical, and engaging for young people. Through Caden Teaches, I provide financial literacy products, speak at events, lead workshops in schools, and bring hands-on financial education directly to communities through my Financial Literacy Bus. These experiences teach students how to earn, save, budget, invest, and understand money in ways they can actually apply to their lives.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Caden Teaches has reached more than 70,000 students through financial literacy education. I’ve created impact through school workshops, speaking events, financial literacy products, and my Financial Literacy Bus, which brings hands-on learning directly into communities. My goal has always been to make financial education something young people can understand and use in real life. Seeing students gain confidence in managing money, setting goals, and thinking about entrepreneurship motivates me to keep expanding the project and reaching more communities.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes Caden Teaches different is that kids can connect with me because I am also young. They can see someone around their age teaching financial literacy, running a business, speaking on big stages, and making an impact in the community. Seeing what I have been able to accomplish inspires students and shows them that their age does not limit what they can do. My goal is to make financial education relatable while showing kids that if I can do it, they can too.
How many people are on your team?
4
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I have four people on my team who help me run and grow Caden Teaches. My team helps manage social media content, book speaking engagements, support workshops on the Financial Literacy Bus, and help develop new products and ideas. We share leadership by bringing different skills and perspectives to the project while working together to turn ideas into action and continue growing our impact.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, I plan to expand Caden Teaches by reaching more schools and communities, growing my Financial Literacy Bus workshops, and building partnerships with more organizations. I also want to increase speaking opportunities and reach more young people through social media and digital content. My goal is to continue growing the project while reaching more students and creating an even bigger impact in communities.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I encourage others to get involved by making financial literacy fun, relatable, and easy to understand. Through my speaking events, school workshops, Financial Literacy Bus, and social media, I share what I have learned and encourage young people to take action in their own lives. I have engaged more than 70,000 students so far, helping them learn about money, entrepreneurship, saving, budgeting, and investing. I also inspire kids by showing them that someone their age can create change and make an impact.
