How early should children start learning about money? Speaking at the Champions (UK) plc Growth & Exit Summit on 7 October 2026, GoHenry founder Louise Hill explained why those lessons need to begin sooner than many parents realise.
The event, held at Squire Patton Boggs in London, brought business owners, investors and advisers together to discuss growth, investment and exit. Louise shared her perspective on financial education and its potential to shape the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Money habits start early
“We know that kids form money habits by the age of seven,” Louise said. “They don’t start to form them. They form money habits by the age of seven. So leaving money skills to luck or at some point later in life makes no sense at all.”
For Louise, giving children opportunities to understand and manage money is an essential part of preparing them for adult life.
Learning through experience
Louise compared financial education to learning to swim. Understanding the theory is useful, but experience is what helps children put that knowledge into practice.
“You could learn all the theory in the world about swimming, but until the day you get in the water, you are never going to learn to swim. Well, I think money skills are the same,” she said.
“You have to have access to money and you have to be able to make those mistakes, small sheltered mistakes with money if you’re really going to learn.”
Her message was clear: children need opportunities to make manageable decisions, learn from mistakes and build confidence with money.
Bringing money skills into the classroom
GoHenry’s research shows that 84 per cent of children and teenagers want financial education in school, while 68 per cent are worried about leaving school with no money skills.
These findings supported the company’s six-year campaign to make money lessons compulsory.
Louise also explained why she had fought for financial education to extend beyond maths, which she described as “theory not practice”. She said she was “really excited about what that means for the next generation of kids growing up in the UK”.
Building confidence for the future
GoHenry launched in 2012 for children aged six to 18 and has helped more than two million young people.
Louise’s contribution to the summit highlighted the connection between financial confidence and the decisions people make throughout their lives, including their ambitions to build and grow a business.
The Business Growth Series brings founders, business owners and senior leaders together to share experiences and explore the challenges behind business growth.