Every year, millions of high school students face life-changing decisions.
Should they go to college? Enter a trade school? Join the workforce? Start a business? Take out student loans? Move away from home? Buy a car?
These decisions often come with price tags that can affect the next 10, 20 or even 40 years of a person’s life. Yet many students are asked to make these choices with little understanding of budgeting, borrowing, taxes, inflation, credit cards, housing costs or the true financial impact of their decisions.
That is exactly why What Money Tree Will You Plant: Financial Education for High School Juniors and Seniors—Before You Make the Biggest Decisions of Your Future by Rich Wittmeier is such an important book.
Written specifically for high school juniors and seniors, this practical guide fills a gap that many schools, families and communities have struggled to address: real-world financial education before students enter the real world. The author argues that students are being asked to make some of the biggest decisions of their lives without first understanding the financial realities that accompany them.
Think about it. A teenager may spend years preparing for college admissions but never learn how to build a budget. They may know what major they want to pursue but have no idea how much their desired lifestyle will cost. They may sign student loan documents without understanding interest, debt repayment or how their future income will be affected.
Rich Wittmeier challenges students to think differently.
Rather than focusing only on academic choices, the book encourages readers to examine the financial side of every major life decision. Students are asked to consider questions such as:
- What kind of lifestyle do I want?
- How much will it cost to achieve my dreams?
- Will my career choice support that lifestyle?
- What happens when inflation increases my expenses?
- How much money will I actually take home after taxes?
- How can I avoid unnecessary debt?
These are not questions most teenagers ask themselves naturally. Yet they are some of the most important questions they will ever answer.
The book covers a wide range of practical financial topics, including budgeting, borrowing, credit cards, housing, transportation, insurance, savings, retirement planning, taxes, Social Security, inflation, career income and the cost of living. It also introduces students to the concept of connecting their dreams to a realistic financial plan.
One of the book’s most powerful ideas is that every student must decide what kind of “money tree” they will plant. Their future income, financial security and ability to achieve their goals will depend on the choices they make today regarding education, work ethic, career development, saving and financial discipline. The message is simple but powerful: the future does not happen by accident; it is built through informed decisions.
Wittmeier brings credibility and practical experience to the conversation. A South Dakota farm boy who went on to earn engineering degrees and spend decades in leadership roles at GE, he understands both hard work and long-term planning. His writing style is direct, conversational and focused on helping students understand concepts that will affect them every day of their adult lives.
The book is also valuable for parents and educators. It can spark meaningful conversations about money, goals, careers and responsibility. For teachers, it offers a structured approach to financial literacy that includes exercises, classroom materials and practical examples designed for high school students.
The reality is simple: every teenager will eventually deal with money. Every teenager will make financial decisions. Every teenager will face choices involving income, spending, saving and debt.
The question is whether they will be prepared.
For students standing at the crossroads of college, career and financial independence, What Money Tree Will You Plant may be one of the most valuable books they read before graduation. It doesn’t tell students what path to choose; it helps them understand the financial realities behind whichever path they decide to take.
And that knowledge could make all the difference.
