Rick Roman

I have been involved with the stock market and finance for most of my life. It all started when my mother bought me shares of stock in Topps Chewing Gum Inc. - maker of sports cards and bubble gum - a clever choice by a wise woman trying to figure out how to get the attention of her teenage, baseball-card-collecting son.

It changed my life! The stock certificate was the attention-getter and was promptly framed and hung on the wall. I couldn't wait to get home each day to check the stock quotes in the newspaper (pre-web). Then I started getting things in the mail - dividend checks, annual reports, proxies, and invites to shareholder meetings. Each mailing prompted new questions and learning.

When it came time to go to college, it was only fitting that I got a B.S. in Finance from Arizona State University. Then it was a successful 30 year career in high tech corporate finance all the while investing in the stock market.

During this time, my wife and I would give shares of stock as gifts in lieu of toys to nieces, nephews, and friends kids - an attempt to teach them sorely needed money skills. Then in 2002, we founded GiveAshare.com which lets people buy one share of stock as a gift in just 1 minute. This was our way of letting other parents and grandparents easily mimic my experience as a teen in hopes of improving financial literacy one kid at a time. It was, and is a hit!

Now with over 110 companies to choose from like Disney, Apple, Nike, and Nintendo, it's easy to find a company they love. The I'm A Shareholder book explains what it means to be a shareholder and the basics about stocks and the combo creates a powerful teaching tool.

Come to find out, adults love it too.