Money-conscious teen who bought stocks at 14 and now drives a Tesla gives her best advice, tips to start investing – and reveals how she handles risk

A high school student is encouraging others to invest after making nearly six figures buying and selling stocks like Amazon and Tesla.

Sophia Castiblanco, now 17, started making her own money through social media at the age of 14, mainly by producing lifestyle content.

Now she’s eager to share investing tips after her own success.

“I’ve always had a business mindset where I wanted to make money, and I’m okay with taking risks,” Castiblanco said. FOX Business’ ‘The Big Money Show.’

When the teen’s parents noticed her drive, they gave her the money to start investing.

They encouraged her to put money into Vanguard and Berkshire Hathaway stock to build long-term wealth.

The teen also chose to buy shares in some of her favorite companies: Tesla, Apple and Amazon.

Castiblanco eventually saw almost six figures back, enough to buy her own Tesla.

And she believes other teens can do it too. When it comes to the right age to invest, Castiblanco claims there is no minimum age to start.

“I think it’s important to realize that even if you only invest $20 a month, or I mean a very small amount, you can still grow that over time,” she said.

However, Castiblanco advises teens to open custodial accounts under a parent’s name, and for good reason: Trading platforms like Robinhood require users to be at least 18 years old.

In one of her TikTok videos, she touts the platform as an option for young investors.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an expert,” she says in the clip, which was posted earlier this year and has been viewed nearly half a million times.

In the video, she urges her colleagues to “keep learning and stay informed” as she holds up a copy of Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing.”

“Just start small and do your research and remember if I can do it, you can do it too,” she says.

Today, the homeschooled teen makes most of her income through brand deals on TikTok and ad revenue on YouTube, where she has 390,000 followers and 36,000 subscribers, respectively.

Speaking to FOX Business, the teen suggested investing in index funds, which she considers her “biggest” approach to risk management.

“That helps diversify the risk of investing more than if I were just investing in individual stocks,” she said.

Castiblanco also encouraged potential investors to “be okay with stocks losing value.”

“I think it takes patience and perseverance to know that you’re taking a risk, but it’s worth it,” she said.

Speak with USA TODAYsaid Castiblanco that she will continue to focus on content creation, but also plans to delve into real estate and start her own business.

As for the renewed publicity surrounding her success, the 17-year-old said it was “a positive experience.”

There are of course disadvantages, including mass hatred. One of Castiblanco’s most viewed videos is captioned, “Replying to my hate comments about having a Tesla at 17.”

In that fragment, Castiblanco reads comments from other internet users who are becoming increasingly aggressive.

In response to a comment urging her to “shut up and stop using daddy’s money to buy stuff,” the teen claims she has four streams of income that earn her almost $100,000.

“Most of these comments come from grown adults,” she says.

“Like you’re telling me you have nothing better to do with your time than hate on a seventeen year old who bought her own car?”

While her online fame has raised some safety concerns, the teen has expressed gratitude for the “supportive community” she has built online.

This includes the thousands of visitors who continually flock to her TikTok page to watch the “haul” videos filmed in her car and nursery.

“I enjoyed being able to inspire other teens to invest and pursue their dreams,” Castiblanco said.