Growing up, many of us learned about money at the kitchen table. Parents passed down the basics — save first, avoid debt, work hard, invest prudently. The dinner table was where financial values were served right alongside the mashed potatoes.
Fast-forward a generation.
Today’s dinner-table money talk often flows in the opposite direction. While parents once taught kids how compound interest works, now it’s adult children explaining blockchain mechanics over Sunday sauce. It’s the era of reverse financial mentorship, especially when it comes to crypto.
Financial advisors are beginning to see it firsthand:
Clients who trust their children with restaurant recommendations and Netflix picks are now being nudged toward Bitcoin, Solana, and digital wallets.
So what happens when kids — knowledgeable, curious, tech-native — start sounding like the savvy ones at the table?
Welcome to the modern family dinner — where investment conversations are evolving, and advisors sit in the middle helping both generations understand risk, reward, and relationship dynamics.
Meet Jack and Keith: A Modern Family Money Dialogue
Jack Marshall started learning about trading and investing at age 17 in Scottsdale, AZ when he landed a high school mentorship with Blake Morrow, a FOREX trader. There, a whole new world opened up to him – markets, momentum, ego, emotions – there was a lot to learn.
Throughout college at Arizona State University, Jack interned at DACFP, a crypto education company founded by well-known financial advisor Ric Edelman. There, Jack cut his teeth on the CBDA course for financial advisors—and it’s where Jack still works as a sales and relationship manager.
With technical blockchain knowledge came confidence for Jack – enough confidence to approach his Dad, Keith Marshall, a real estate agent in North Scottsdale, with some investing ideas of his own.
In many families, this is where things get awkward. For decades, parents were the authority on money. They explained 401(k)s, CDs, and dollar-cost averaging, while kids rolled their eyes between bites of meatloaf.
Yet when kids grow up and gain financial fluency — especially in an emerging asset class like crypto — the dynamic shifts. It requires humility, curiosity, and mutual respect. Just like a family learning to talk about college majors, life purpose, or careers, talking money across generations demands patience and open ears.
Would a regular dad listen to his crypto-enthusiastic son?
Keith did. A knowledgeable investor who works with a Fidelity advisor in Scottsdale, he was open-minded — and smart enough to spot Jack’s genuine passion. With his son submerged in finance, blockchain, Web 3.0, and AI, Keith was willing to put some “play money” into the cryptosphere.
A Son’s Pitch, a Father’s Trust
The Approach: Jack gained his dad’s interest in cryptocurrency investments by presenting a clear thesis and logic behind his recommendations. The conversations highlighted the importance of research, experience, and clear communication in making investment decisions.
To get his dad in the crypto game, Jack suggested first linking his bank account to a newly-opening Coinbase account and Keith began dollar-cost averaging into SOL (Solana). “I was fearful of linking my bank account to Coinbase at first, but with Jack’s guidance, everything has worked out,” shared Keith.
In 2022, when markets tanked, Jack didn’t panic — he observed. He studied user growth, market structure, and sentiment. In a family that discussed work ethic and real estate values around the table, now risk, tokenomics, and platform adoption joined the dialogue.
The Pitch: Jack noted that both companies had significant user bases and posited that if there were going to be another bull run, those platforms would be the ones retail traders would go to. By December 2023, Robinhood had dropped to $11, and Jack advised buying it for potential gains in a future bull run, predicting it would rise to $105, which it eventually did. Keith purchased shares in HOOD through his Fidelity brokerage account.
Jack’s strategy of investing in Bitcoin was both through Bitwise ETFs and directly on Coinbase, (which also provided exposure to meme coins like Doge and DogeWifHat as a smaller, speculative investment).
But the path wasn’t straight up.
“Bitcoin vastly out performed Altcoins in 2025 and SOL had a decent run in 2023-24, which my dad had as well,” says Jack. But it’s no secret that Alt or Meme coins have generally underperformed. For example, File Coin was $221 a few years ago, but at $2 now. “We learned Altcoins are not good investments for us, they’re just too speculative.”
In other words: the same lessons parents once passed down — discipline, patience, research — were now being reinforced by the next generation. That’s not role reversal; that’s evolution.
Upon reflecting on the “father and son” conversations over the last 2 years, Keith gained trust in Jack's guidance, began actively trading Robinhood and Coinbase via his Fidelity Brokerage account, and now sees potential long-term value of cryptocurrencies, especially with the Trump administration's endorsement.
Like many family conversations, you need to manage expectations. To his credit, Jack started the process with clear warnings to his dad: “You should not be surprised to see 70% drawdown on Alt coins and even Bitcoin, as it has historically done that a few times."
A financial advisor couldn’t have said it better.
Advisor Lens: Turning Dinner-Table Talk into Disciplined Strategy
So what’s the best way to start this “reverse” family money conversation when the adult children are sharing their experience and investing insights?
When a retiree is considering following crypto advice from adult children, the first filter shouldn’t be whether crypto is “legit.” says Eric Croak, CFP® of Croak Capital in Toledo, OH.
Most serious investors are beyond that, says Croak, who believes the evolution of cryptocurrency investments has become legit now that Fidelity and BlackRock have transformed Bitcoin and crypto assets from speculative investments into established financial instruments. The big institutions' involvement has moved cryptocurrency beyond the fad stage, says Croak, comparing it to the monetization of single-family homes by Blackstone.
Croak’s point mirrors the shifting tone at many family tables: the conversation has matured. Curiosity is not recklessness. Innovation is not irresponsibility. Advisors who treat crypto like a taboo risk missing opportunities to deepen trust and educate both generations.
According to Croak, when it comes to personal finance, the first filter should be whether the advice is a product of critical thinking or mere cheerleading. If an adult child can only communicate in acronyms (“SOL is about to moon, trust me”), that should be a red flag. But if an adult child can speak to the mechanics of stablecoins, or the implications of transaction costs, or the need for cold storage, that should show a willingness to think things through. “There is a difference between pro-crypto advocacy and crypto-awareness — and retirees need to know the difference,” says Croak.
For example, if a retiree has $2.5 million of investable assets, putting 2% ($50K) in Bitcoin is prudent mathematically if it is not liquidated for at least five years, says Croak. However, where things go sideways is when the adult child is pushing them into coins being touted on Reddit by someone with no real-world experience or no real idea who controls the supply. “This is where trust becomes an issue. If the family member cannot articulate how the coin works and what the exit strategy is, then they should not be considered an advisor in the first place.”
3 tips from Advisor Eric Croak
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Tell your kids to pitch crypto to you like they would a business investment opportunity.
That means expected returns, worst-case outcomes, tax treatment if sold within 12 months, etc., and what changes the investment thesis. “Suddenly you have a structured conversation and that leads to respect,” says Croak. -
An easy red flag: If a child is pitching a coin because it’s “early” or “Reddit’s into it”, parents should stop the conversation right there.
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Another huge red flag is urgency.
If a coin or token “has to be bought this week”, that indicates the recommendation was emotionally driven. That type of pressure can erode trust and can lead to higher risk of scams or unvetted coins.
Croak puts it another way: All productive conversations start with aligned definitions: define risk, define time horizon, define outcome. Then layer the crypto discussion on top. If the family can't agree on what "risk" even means, then the crypto talk is premature. But if both sides respect each other's tolerance and intentions, that is where real education happens.
Bridging Generations & Building Financial Fluency Together
Talking about money with family is not something that comes naturally to most people. “Generational differences in financial literacy and risk tolerance complicate these family money conversations,” says Chad Cummings, Esq., CPA of Cummings & Cummings Law in Naples, FL and Dallas. “Younger adults may have greater technical knowledge of wallets, exchanges, and blockchain mechanics, but they often underestimate volatility and liquidity risk. Retirees, by contrast, tend to prioritize wealth preservation and cash flow.”
A productive exchange occurs when each side contributes their strength: the child demystifies the technology, while the retiree or older investor emphasizes prudent portfolio management, diversification, and asset protection. Without this balance, advice can easily devolve into pressure or misplaced enthusiasm.
Cummings recently updated the trust of an 82-year-old client. When asked: What assets do you hold? Where are they custodied? It was discovered the client’s grandson advised him to invest a few thousand dollars in a Pepe coin – which like most Alt coins — hold very little value beyond their debut. Ouch.
Lesson learned: Retirees should be wary of advice accompanied by urgency, promises of guaranteed returns, or suggestions to commit large portions of retirement savings. Any proposal that places account control in the child’s hands, or that involves referral bonuses or profit sharing, requires heightened caution. “The most prudent next steps are to keep all investment accounts in the retiree’s name, document family discussions to reduce later misunderstandings, and seek independent professional advice before acting,” advises Cummings.
Advisor Action Steps — and a Closing Thought
Crypto has become mainstreamed. If you have the risk capacity, go with mainstreamed ETFs—so you never have to worry about maintaining a crypto wallet or losing a passkey. Have your kids present their own investment thesis – and if it makes sense, put a little play money into it.
Major financial firms have been exploring crypto for 10+ years. I saw that when I worked at Fidelity and began investing in crypto five years ago. Bottom line, crypto has attracted the attention and imagination of young investors. That’s not going away. If you’re still very skeptical, listen to financial advisor Eric Croak: “Once the big guys sink their teeth into something, they are good at finding ways to make money and create wealth.”
Quick Tips for Advisors & Clients
• In my retirement coaching practice, I’ve advised clients to get their money management on “Cruise Control” by age 75.
• It’s the duty of an advisor to raise the guardrails as they age – and their risk capacity typically dwindles.
• Consider a $1,000 investment in Fidelity’s FBTC or Franklin Templeton’s EZBC — mainstream, simple, and emotionally safe.
• Avoid urgency, hype, and meme coins.
• Encourage structured, respectful intergenerational investment dialogue.
Final Word: Back to the Dinner Table
In families, money has always been a language — first taught by parents. But great families evolve. And sometimes the wisest thing a parent can do is pass the fork — and the conversation — to the next generation for a turn.
Crypto may be new. Respect isn’t.
When parents and adult children can talk about money openly, thoughtfully, and without ego, everyone benefits — and advisors have a front-row seat to guide the feast.