Financial advisor Scott Pape, known as the Barefoot Investor, has advised a mother to cease providing her teenage son with discretionary funds, urging her to establish clear boundaries to curb his reliance on parental financial support. The mother, identified only as Sandy, expressed frustration that her 16-year-old son frequently requests money for non-essential items such as acai bowls, bubble tea, and movie outings, leading her to feel "scammed" and concerned about fostering a sense of entitlement.
Pape's advice, published on September 6, 2026, was direct: stop giving the son money. He stated that "no is a complete sentence" and that the parents' role is to "knock that out of him." He outlined three specific boundaries for Sandy to implement.
First, Pape recommended eliminating all spending money. He acknowledged that drawing this line might be "brutal" and that the son's reaction would indicate the strength of the boundary.
Second, he advised against providing any form of allowance, even if tied to chores, to prevent the son from quitting after an initial period and continuing to receive money. He suggested this practice could lead to a "transfer" where the son performs tasks only temporarily.
Third, Pape instructed the mother not to pay her son for basic household responsibilities. He emphasized that tasks like clearing dishes, cleaning his room, and doing laundry are expected contributions to family life and should not be compensated. The underlying principle, according to Pape, is that money is earned through work.
Pape concluded that if the son desires items like acai bowls, movie tickets, or a gym membership, he should fund these purchases himself by obtaining a part-time job. The advice aims to teach the son the connection between working, earning, saving, and spending. The mother had previously questioned whether she was teaching her son that her and her husband were an "ATM" rather than imparting lessons about financial responsibility.