Podcast Summary: Business School with Sharran Srivatsaa
Episode: The 11yr Old Investor
Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Sharran Srivatsaa

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sharran Srivatsaa shares a personal and practical lesson in building generational wealth by recounting how he taught his then-11-year-old son, Neil, about investing. He details the real-life experiment of turning a $1,000 portfolio into over $7,000 in just three years—an astonishing 600%+ return. The episode breaks down the exact investments, the rationale behind every choice, and the essential lessons around money, risk, and parental mentorship. It's a step-by-step playbook for parents (and anyone) interested in teaching kids about money with clarity and purpose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Book Deal: Turning Habits into Assets

[01:08–06:15]

• Most parents give their children an allowance or more screen time as a reward. Instead, Sharran incentivized Neil to read.
• “If you read a book, you tell me that you read the book and you get $50, no strings attached. But what he got was not $50 in cash. What he got was $50 in a Robinhood account.” (Sharran, 02:01)
• The goal was to teach delayed gratification and reinforce good habits—“always want to reinforce good habits.” (Sharran, 01:13)
• Contrasts this to other kids spending money on Robux/iPad time.

2. Simplicity Over Complexity—The Thematic Approach

[06:15–09:30]

• Sharran’s financial pedigree: Wall Street banker, built and scaled billion-dollar businesses, but chose to strip away complexity for Neil.
• “The best investments are the ones that you can actually explain…If Neil can’t tell you after I explained to him why he did what he did, then he’s not learning anything.” (Sharran, 08:13)
• Criticizes the old-school idea of gifting a single Disney share as ineffective vanity.

3. The $1,000 Portfolio—Exact Investment Breakdown

[09:30–13:40]

• Split $1,000 into four themes:
  1. XLK (Technology ETF) – "Invest in the Future of Tech"
     • “He realized that in the future tech would be bigger than it is today… ‘dad, how do I invest in technology for the future?’” (Sharran, 10:55)
  2. SPY (S&P 500 ETF) – "Bet on America"
     • “If American businesses win, we win…now I’m investing in all the businesses in America.” (Sharran, 11:50)
  3. SCHD (Dividend ETF) – "Get Paid to Wait"
     • Emphasized the concept of dividends as a steady, “defense” play.
     • “This is like having defense on your football team, right? You need somebody to play defense.” (Sharran, 12:45)
  4. MSTR (MicroStrategy / Bitcoin Exposure) – "Wild Card"
     • Teaches about risk by allocating a small amount to a volatile asset.
     • “It could crash or it could go to the moon…You manage your risk around it…don’t put 100% in bitcoin.” (Sharran, 13:22)

4. The Results: 3-Year Review

[13:40–15:45]

• Portfolio performance (Sep 2022–Sep 2025):
  • XLK: +125%
  • SPY: +73%
  • SCHD: +7%
  • MSTR: +2,200%
• “Neil’s eyes were nuts when I showed him...He had just forgotten because he was just going on and buying more $50 worth of stock every time he read a book.” (Sharran, 14:42)
• MicroStrategy/Bitcoin position ended up as 82% of the portfolio—acknowledges the outsized role of luck.
• “Let’s be honest, I got super lucky with having MicroStrategy.” (Sharran, 15:15)

5. Lessons Learned (Investment & Parenting Takeaways)

[15:45–18:50]

• Risk and Nerves:
  • “Risk can pay off, but it’s terrifying.” (15:52)
  • “MicroStrategy was like betting on a horse that could win big or trip halfway through the race.” (Sharran, 15:58)
• Diversification Matters:
  • “Diversification saves you. If microstrategy had crashed, we’d still be up 100%, thanks to the other three.” (Sharran, 17:05)
• Investing as a Long Game:
  • “I wanted to show him a chart of the portfolio’s growth… This is what patience looks like.” (Sharran, 17:44)
  • Emphasizes “It’s not timing the market, it’s time in the market.”
• Simple > Complex:
  • “Complexity is the enemy of greatness.” (18:18)
  • If a child can’t explain the investment, it’s probably too complicated.

6. Practical Advice for Listeners

[18:50–19:06]

• Start small; even $100 in an ETF is enough to teach.
• Keep conversations focused on themes (AI, healthcare, markets), not products.
• Teach about balancing risk—the “two-engine” analogy from pilot training.
• Early exposure is key; equates money to water and swimming—the earlier, the less fear.
• “The sooner you can introduce them to money, the less they are afraid of it, the more they feel comfortable around it.” (Sharran, 18:38)
• Mistakes are okay; learning together is the point.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You always want to reinforce good habits.” (01:13)
• “The best investments are the ones that you can actually explain.” (08:13)
• “If you can’t explain your investment to an 11-year-old, maybe you probably shouldn’t own it if that’s not your daily thing.” (18:29)
• “Complexity is the enemy of greatness.” (18:18)
• “Neil’s eyes were nuts when I showed him.” (14:42)
• “The sooner you can introduce them to money, the less they are afraid of it…” (18:38)

Important Timestamps

• 01:08 – Why the "Book Deal" approach instead of allowances or screen time
• 06:15 – Sharran’s financial background and why he kept things simple
• 09:30 – The four investment themes, rationale, and explanations
• 13:40 – Portfolio results: returns and reactions
• 15:45 – Risk, diversification, and education lessons
• 18:50 – Practical suggestions for listeners and parents

Tone

Direct, practical, encouraging, and personal—Sharran uses conversational language and real analogies to make investment concepts accessible to all listeners, especially parents looking to foster good financial habits in their children.

Bottom Line:
Sharran’s experiment with an “11-year-old investor” isn't about getting rich quick—it's about teaching patience, risk management, and the power of compounding through simplicity and real-world experience. If you want your children (or yourself) to be comfortable and confident with money, start early, focus on themes, and keep it simple.