Diapers, Daycare, and a Financial Epiphany: Meet Brooke

When I was 14, I had something most kids didn’t—a babysitting empire.

Okay, not really. But I did have $4,000 of babysitting money sitting in a savings account.

I called my Gramps to brag: “I have $4k of babysitting money in my savings account!”

He was not impressed.

“It’s just sitting there earning nothing!? You should be investing it!”

Cue my 14-year-old panic. 

Investing? That sounded like something men in suits did on Wall Street, not something I (babysitter, student, and serial money saver) could even begin to figure out. So I did what any overwhelmed teen would do: I handed my money to a bank and hoped for the best.

I continued wiping toddlers’ butts and funneling my extra cash into this account for years. But deep down, I still felt clueless about money.

Then, I heard an analogy that stopped me in my tracks: putting your money in a bank and expecting it to grow, without any knowledge of how it’s being managed, is like dropping your kid off at daycare when she’s born. Sure, just leave her there for 18 years, pick her up on graduation day, and hope she turned out okay!

As someone who has wanted to be a mother all my life (former babysitter, nanny, and currently an over-involved aunt), this analogy hit home.

If I would NEVER do this with my future kids, how could I do this with my money? Hand it over and cross my fingers?? No plan, no involvement, no idea what’s really going on? Heck no.

I committed to taking an active role with my money. Yet, the financial information felt so…gatekept. A summa cum laude undergrad degree, a 4.0 master’s degree, and a top 15 public school teaching job later, investing STILL felt like a language that wasn’t made for people like me.

But the finance bros don’t know how stubborn I am. I dug my heels in and wrote a resolution on New Year’s Day: just start. “It’s my responsibility to build wealth for my future family. I will figure this out.”

I took $50 per month and invested it on my own. No fancy tricks or hidden bank fees. Just me and a little trial and error. Eventually, something clicked. I created a simple system that actually worked. My money started growing. I started understanding it. I stopped second-guessing every decision!

A hundred thousand dollars later, I returned to school to become a Certified Financial Educator so I could teach others the exact method I used.

That’s how Brooke Builds Wealth was born.

Now, I teach women and families to build financial security—without the stress, shame, or crazy spreadsheets. I show you how to use your money as a tool, not a source of anxiety.

Whether you’re starting with $5 or $500, I’ll walk you through it. Step by step. It’s up to you to learn about money and pass on good financial habits to your kids, because money should feel empowering, not overwhelming.