[Sylvanfan]

My parents set me up with a life insurance policy when I was an infant. When I turned 20 I took over the policy myself. Eventually I took the cash surrender value on that policy and invested that...but the key thing was that the policy was with Manulife financial and as a result I was entitled to 594 shares in the company when they went public. I held the shares for a couple years and sold them for about $44 a share. That essentially gave me my down payment for my first house. Granted in those days I had enough I still could have found a way to buy a house, but those shares gave me a huge advantage. My Dad also helped me build a fence and deck too. So haha to all those who had to go it on your own, your parents suck!

I'm sure I will help my son out some day. One of the best things parents can do for their children is teach them about money, and how to be responsible with it.