You want money for video games, clothes, your first car, or simply the freedom to stop asking your parents for everything. But most money books for young people keep repeating the same old advice: mow lawns, babysit, walk dogs, or wait until you are old enough to get a regular job.

I Want to Make Real Money shows middle schoolers and high schoolers how to think beyond ordinary chores and begin building income from their own skills, interests, ideas, and available resources.

Inside, young readers will learn how to:

identify skills and interests that people may pay for
turn a simple idea into a real product or service
find customers and communicate professionally
price their work without underselling themselves
use the internet and social media more safely
recognize scams, dishonest offers, and get-rich-quick schemes
manage, save, and reinvest the money they earn
develop the confidence and discipline needed to keep going
With practical examples, colorful illustrations, worksheets, and step-by-step tools, this book makes earning money easier to understand without talking down to young readers.

This is not a promise of instant riches. It is a realistic guide to becoming more resourceful, responsible, and financially independent—one good idea at a time.

For ambitious middle schoolers and high schoolers who are ready to stop saying, “I wish I had money,” and start asking, “What can I create, solve, or offer?”

Bosco Mutarambirwa is an analyst and writer on African economic transformation and global power politics. His work bridges economics, policy, and development strategy, focusing on how nations reclaim resource sovereignty in an era of great-power competition.