After 16 years as a middle school math teacher at Providence Day School, Brian Li realized something essential was missing from the traditional curriculum: financial literacy. He set out to change that by building a finance class to equip students with tools they’d actually need in the real world.
Today, Li teaches middle and upper school students about investing, debt, risk and how to manage a stock portfolio, all while reinforcing a simple but powerful idea: money isn’t a taboo subject, and finance isn’t just for Wall Street bros. It’s for everyone.
His approach has struck a chord. Li’s upper school finance classes are now so popular they come with a wait list. In addition to the basics of finance, he covers resume building, LinkedIn profile-writing and negotiating pay. He often brings in Providence Day alumni who work at Bank of America and Truist to speak with students.
Li’s passion for teaching everyday finance skills has gone beyond the classroom. He’s been a featured speaker at the NAIS People of Color Conference, NAIS THRIVE, the NYSAIS Diversity Practitioners Conference and the Strategenius EmpowerED Workshop Series. He’s also contributed to local initiatives in Charlotte, including Common Wealth Charlotte, Charlotte is Creative and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP branch.
The educator and financial coach shared seven key lessons he’s passing on, not just to students, but to anyone looking to sharpen his or her real-world money skills.
Start early and master the basics
Teaching financial concepts in middle school proves students can grasp money basics just like math or reading, and builds confidence before adulthood.
“We’re in a blessed spot at this school, but we are a nation of debt,” Li says. “The average credit card debt is about $6,500. The average auto loan is $28,000. Seventy percent of the second generation that inherits wealth will lose it. You’ve got to learn how to manage money, even if your family is wealthy.”
Make personal finance essential, not optional
To Li, financial literacy is as essential as math or social studies because it’s used long after school ends. It’s also why he now offers financial workshops for all ages; it’s the class many wish they’d had.
“Finance isn’t prioritized in the school setting because school is often just a game to get the kids into college,” he says. “Managing a 401(k) isn’t going to help them score higher on the ACT. The game has always been great grades, AP classes and getting kids to that next level. But that real-world aspect has got to be incorporated.”
Ride out the market dips and don’t try to time them
Li’s lessons break down tools like Roth IRAs and diversified portfolios in ways students can understand. Through mock portfolios, they learn to navigate market drops without trying to time the market.
“When tariffs kicked in, they saw the market doesn’t always just go up,” he says. “That’s the fun part about teaching finance—you never know what you’ll see when you turn on the news that morning.”
No one is inherently “good” or “bad” with money
The idea that people are bad with money is a myth.
“I hear people in my workshops say, ‘My spouse takes care of it’ or ‘I don’t like numbers,’” Li says. “That’s what we want to debunk. Everyone has to understand some level of finance, and people are more capable than they think. The financial industry has done a really good job of making it sound a lot more complicated than it is. But it’s too important to not have an understanding of.”
Resist the latest money craze
Li urges students to tune out TikTok finance hype, get-rich-quick culture and buy-now-pay-later apps.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he says. “Students are living in a challenging age where they are bombarded by social media and want instant gratification. In the financial world, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. We want to avoid things like crypto. These are fads we cover in our class. We front-load them, so they know it just doesn't work that way in real life.”
Focus on steady, long-term investing
Maxing out retirement accounts, 529s and HSAs may not feel urgent to a middle schooler—or even a recent college graduate—but it’s never too early (or late) to build these habits.
“These students have the gift of all gifts—they have time on their side,” Li says. “But we’ve got to build discipline and low-cost investing skills. We're not trying to build little day traders. We don’t want to turn the stock market into a casino. It’s about long-term, steady investing.”
You can grow generational wealth without a high income
You don’t need a six-figure income to grow your money over time. Set up automatic transfers to a high-yield savings account or retirement plan. Contribute regularly to an IRA, 401(k) or low-cost index fund, even if it’s a small amount.
“That’s the power of finance—you can build generational wealth if we understand how to play the finance game,” Li says. “I’m a teacher, but I can be an investor and build generational wealth.”