My first time trying to explain compound interest to my little cousin went sideways

We were at my kitchen table and I drew a chart showing how $100 could grow. I said it doubles every ten years, but he asked what if you take money out. I froze because I forgot to talk about withdrawals. So I grabbed a jar of pennies to show how taking some out slows growth. Has anyone else found a simple way to teach this without missing key parts?

3 comments

3 Comments

seanjackson28d ago

My own brain froze explaining it last week.

leodavis28d ago

Ever have that moment where you're talking and you can just feel your own words turning into nonsense? I started explaining how my fridge works to a friend and ended up just pointing at it and saying "cold box.

the_spencer26d ago

Tried to describe wifi once and just said "invisible internet cords.