Only in Palm Beach - Recreation

South Florida CEO, August, 2002

* It's that time of year again, when the kids go off to summer camp. Usually they're off to learn the art of canoeing or archery. But not in Palm Beach County, where certified financial planner Susan Bradley has just wrapped up her seventh Money Camp for kids. Held this year at the Ritz Carlton in Manalapan, the $525, three-day camp teaches youngsters about investing, philanthropy, entrepreneurship and the basics of financial literacy.

"We love giving the kids a sense of how you make money, manage money and how you share money," says Bradley. While a few of the campers come from average income backgrounds, most are from "super high net worth families," and part of what they learn is how to manage family foundations. One exercise: decide how and where to donate $5 million. Another: write a personal financial plan. "One kid's plan was to convince his parents that, rather than just give him money, they should give him an allowance, to learn how to manage it," says Bradley. "He also wanted a job, so he could meet people outside of his kind." Bradley has run the tiny camp on word of mouth -- this year 13 kids between the ages of 10 and 17 attended -- but next year plans to expand, thanks to interest drummed up by an article in the international newspaper Financial Times.