Student's first paycheck confusion sparks initiative reaching 22,000 people

Siddhi Tandon was 15 when she earned her first paycheck, about $500 from working as a camp counselor. She went to the bank to deposit it, only to learn that she could not use the account she already had under her parents’ names. That moment of confusion became the starting point for Cubs of Wall Street, a youth-led financial literacy nonprofit that has now reached more than 22,000 people and expanded into six states, according to Points of Light and Northwest Asian Weekly.Tandon’s story is not just about learning how to manage money.

It is about recognising a gap, filling it with practical knowledge, and then inviting other young people to do the same. Her initiative now includes free workshops, a published book, trained chapter leaders, and partnerships with libraries and credit unions across Washington and beyond. Read more about her initiatives, as per the reports, here:The paycheck that changed everythingTandon, a student at Lakeside School in Seattle, opened her first paycheck during the summer before her sophomore year.

She had earned the money as a camp counselor, but when she tried to deposit it, the bank teller told her she could not use the account under her parents’ names.Instead, she opened a teen checking account. That experience made her realise how little she knew about what she could actually do with money once she earned it.“This is the first time it struck me because it was the first time I’d really had money in my life,” she told Northwest Asian Weekly.

That realisation pushed her to start learning about personal finance on her own.Teaching herself firstThroughout her sophomore year, Tandon taught herself about personal finance and the stock market using YouTube videos, online articles, and conversations with her parents. By the end of that school year, she had opened a custodial investment account, as per the reports.Rather than keeping that knowledge to herself, she decided to share it.

She spoke at TEDxDelMar Youth in San Diego, delivering a talk titled 'The Cubs of Capital Street: Smart Money Starts Young'.At the time, she was only 16 and worried whether people would take her seriously. The response was immediate. Adults told her they wished someone had shared this information with them when they were younger, and children said they were inspired to open bank accounts.Building Cubs of Wall StreetBy August 2025, Tandon had founded Cubs of Wall Street, a youth-led financial literacy initiative.

The organisation began by hosting free workshops in public libraries across Washington, covering budgeting, saving, investing, and different types of accounts, including cryptocurrency.By early 2026, the initiative had reached more than 4,500 students through library sessions, school STEAM nights, and community events from the Eastside to Federal Way. One of the early sessions at the Redmond Library drew around 70 people, a turnout that surprised and encouraged Tandon.The organisation has since grown into a network spanning six states and an international chapter.

Tandon has personally taught more than 250 students and families, while the broader programming has reached more than 22,000 community members.Meeting young people where they areTandon’s teaching style is interactive rather than lecture-based. She reads the room, adapts to what participants already know, and uses games and real-life examples to make financial concepts easier to understand.One of her most popular exercises involves compound interest.

She asks participants whether they would rather have $50,000 at the end of a month or a penny that doubles every day for 30 days. Most choose the $50,000, only to learn that the doubling penny grows to more than $5 million by the end of the month.That kind of hands-on approach has helped her connect with audiences of different backgrounds. At some libraries, students cite research papers, while at others, they have never heard of a bank account.

Tandon sees those differences as proof that financial education is needed everywhere.A book that extends the missionIn February 2026, Tandon published her first book, What I Learned About Money: A High Schooler’s Account. The nonfiction book is aimed at readers ages 9 to 18 and covers earning, budgeting, saving, investing, and taxes.Each section ends with a chapter about a well-known figure, from Warren Buffett to Oprah Winfrey, who has used those financial skills in real life.

The book is available through the Seattle Public Library, the King County Library System, and Amazon.Tandon said the idea for the book came directly from her workshops. People often asked for the slides she used, which made her realise that a book could help spread the knowledge even further.Why the gap mattersWashington is one of 11 states without mandated financial literacy education in high school, according to Points of Light.

That gap is what Tandon is trying to close through her nonprofit and her advocacy.Research by Tyton Partners in collaboration with Next Gen Personal Finance found that completing just one semester of personal finance in high school can translate into an average lifetime economic benefit of about $100,000 per student. Tandon cited that figure in her TEDx talk and has made it central to her push for systemic change.Her goal is to see a semester or workshop of mandatory financial literacy education implemented in high schools.

She believes financial education influences nearly every major decision people make in adult life, from managing income and credit to securing housing and planning for the future.The road aheadTandon is now recruiting peers in other states to open Cubs of Wall Street chapters, expanding the organisation’s reach. Her hope is that more young people will see financial literacy as something they can engage with early, rather than something they have to figure out later.“I’m not too young to think about this.

I’m not too young to care about this,” she said, as per Northwest Asian Weekly. That message is at the hear…