*This content is brought to you by Brenthurst Wealth
By Mags Heystek, CFP® *
If you’re a garden-loving South African, then you’ll appreciate the amount of effort needed to establish, grow and maintain your little green sanctuary. What’s great is that you can envision what the final result will look like, and then watch as this vision comes to fruition, season after season.
This process of having a future vision and then patiently watching as it becomes reality is the prefect analogy for nurturing financial awareness in your kids. Neglecting financial education from a young age is like letting your lawn and plants wilt from lack of watering.
Here are six essential financial lessons that I believe every parent should pass down to their children as nourishment to fuel their financial awareness.
- Plant the seeds early
In your garden, you know it’s important to plant seeds early in the season to get the best harvest. The same goes for financial education.
Start teaching your children about saving money from a young age. Even small amounts saved regularly can grow significantly over time, thanks to the magic of compound interest. These early lessons are like planting seeds in fertile soil, setting the stage for healthy harvest.
Water regularly with consistent habits
Just as your garden needs regular watering to thrive, good financial habits depend on consistency.
Encourage your children to set a budget, know the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’, and to save a portion of the money they receive from chores or birthday gifts. This ongoing nurturing helps instil discipline, thereby constantly improving they financial health.
Weed out bad habits
Weeds can quickly overrun your beautiful garden if left unchecked. Similarly, poor financial habits like impulsive spending, taking on high-interest debt, and neglecting savings can undermine financial stability.
Teach your children to recognise and avoid these detrimental behaviours in the future once they have their one incomes and households to run. Show them the importance of living within their means and making thoughtful financial decisions to keep their garden free of weeds.
Fertilise with knowledge
Just as fertiliser enriches your garden’s soil and promotes growth, financial knowledge enhances their ability to make informed decisions.
Introduce them to investment principles early on, explaining the basics of stocks, bonds, and the power of compound growth. Being comfortable with these concepts help them to make wise choices that will help their financial garden flourish.
Prune for optimal growth
Pruning helps plants grow strong and healthy by removing dead or overgrown branches.
The same must be done to your finances, so teach your kids to review and adjust their financial plans so that they stay on track. At a young age this might be every so often, but the aim is to teach the habit of reassessing and adjusting when needed.
Celebrate the harvest
The true joy of gardening comes from the harvest, a time to celebrate the fruits of your labour.
Similarly, celebrate financial milestones with your children, like reaching a savings goal or making successful investments.
Hopefully this analogy between tending your garden and looking after the future well-being of your kids is helpful. Imagining a lush garden instead of a dried out lawn, I think, is an effective way to build the motivation to take action.
Each little step is one step closer to the goal of giving your kids the opportunity of having a bountiful future.
All the advisors at Brenthurst are well versed in helping the younger generations take their first dip into the market. We also have teams that advise families on the best way to preserve and pass on generational wealth so that your legacy can live well into the future.
So, please reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to explore simple ways that you can raise financially healthy and stable youngsters.
* Mags is head of the Brenthurst Wealth Sandton office
Megan joined the Brenthurst Wealth team in March 2026 as an Administrative and Fiduciary Services Assistant at our Val de Vie Office in the Western Cape. Prior to joining Brenthurst, Megan gained three years of experience in the retail sector, where she developed management and client service skills.
I obtained my National Diploma in Financial Information Systems from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 1999 and have worked in the wealth management industry since January 2000. Over the years, I have gained extensive experience in various roles, including Portfolio Manager Assistant, Planner Assistant, and Paraplanner.
Esmarelda Isaacs-Andreas joined the Brenthurst Wealth Stellenbosch office in October 2025, taking on the dual role of Receptionist and Fiduciary Administrator.
I obtained my National Diploma in Financial Information Systems from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 1999 and have worked in the wealth management industry since January 2000. Over the years, I have gained extensive experience in various roles, including Portfolio Manager Assistant, Planner Assistant, and Paraplanner.
Ashley joined Brenthurst Wealth in January 2025 as Office Administrative Assistant and Receptionist for the Stellenbosch Office.
René Heystek joined Brenthurst Wealth in November 2023, as receptionist and administrative assistant in the newly established George/Garden Route office.
Michelle Heystek has built a career in the financial services over the last two decades, after obtaining her B.Com degree in Financial Management in 2005. Once she joined Brenthurst in 2006, she continued her academic journey, obtaining her Certificate in Wealth Management from INSETA in 2007, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of the Free State. In 2008, she earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation.
Anelle joined Brenthurst Wealth as a Receptionist and Administrative Assistant to Brian Butchart in the Cape Town office in December 2023. She has a wealth of knowledge from working as a liaison between Financial Advisers and clients at TMA and Absa Investment Management Services (Aims) since 1998. She obtained her B. com degree from the University of Port Elizabeth in 1997.
ADMITTED ATTORNEY | FINANCIAL PLANNER & HEAD OF BRENTHURST FOURWAYS
Sanet was appointed in April 2020, joining our Cape Town team as an Executive Administration Assistant to Renee Eagar. She has been in the financial services industry since 1990. Her previous experience includes positions at Sanlam, BJM and ABSA. She spent her last 12 years working at Alexander Forbes Private Client Wealth as a Senior Wealth Management Assistant. She has received numerous accolades over the years which include but not limited to, Alexander Forbes Client Service Excellence – Silver award in 2014,2015 and 2017. Sanet has also obtained her Certificate in Wealth Management (NQF 5) in 2012 and achieved “Best Student of the Year” from Moonstone.
Maria Smit is a Certified Financial Planner® with over 10 years of experience in the financial planning industry.
