“The Motley Fool” presents an interesting series of articles to demystify common personal finance concepts in teen-friendly language.

This article starts with the basic concepts of compounding, investing in mutual funds vs. interest on bank savings, and works its way up. It impresses upon teens the benefits of financial planning, starting early, and investing regularly.

This article is the first of thirteen adapted from the book, “The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: 8 Steps to Having More Money Than Your Parents Ever Dreamed Of“. Links to each of the subsequent sections is available at the bottom of the previous one. There is also a section which suggests ways in which teens can make a little extra money on the side through jobs like pet-sitting, tutoring, helping their parents with their business, camps, creating websites, creating and selling crafts like jewelry, serving the elderly, and such.

The articles also explain how stock markets work and about investing in the stock market, and typically include several useful links and resources. “The Motley Fool” also has an active forum on “Teens and their Money”.

A must-read for teens to give them an early understanding of the basics of personal finance.