One of Trump's friends is joining the US Government's effort to put $1,000 into a savings account for every new baby born in the US. “Why I'm Donating $6 Billion to America's Children”
Businessman Michael Dell, 60, says then “when I was 6 or 7 years old, I opened a savings account with just a few dollars in it. It makes money visible and tangible to kids, something they can ask about, watch and understand.” An example of a gesture that offers through donation not compassion, but responsibility.
Every child born in the US between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028 will receive $1,000 in a savings account from the US government under the Trump administration's Invest America program. Family, employers or other donors can also deposit money into that savings account, up to a tax-deductible limit.
From the resulting amount, which can be invested including on the stock market, withdrawals can only be made when the holder turns 18. Because “Invest America is designed to give kids a financial foundation they can rely on as they grow,” the project claims.
Dell is offering $250 each to 25 million children, initially ineligible for the project
The Michael and Susan Dell family, founders of the Dell technology company, decided to extend the program to children born before January 1, 2025.
“Our $6.25 billion investment will fund an additional 25 million accounts at $250 each, reaching the majority of children age 10 and younger who were born before the federal program began.”
Michael Dell explained why he is making this donation, which he considers an investment. “For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in how money works. When I was 6 or 7 years old, I opened a savings account with just a few dollars in it. I'd bring in a quarter, give it to the teller, and he'd stamp my little blue card. Seeing the balance grow, even by a few cents, gave me my first understanding of compound interest,” Dell recalled in a testimonial article in the Free Presse.
How we live in Romania
The businessman believes that “those early experiences shaped the way I look at opportunities. Not just as something you hope will happen, but as something you go for.” And having a savings account gives you, says Dell, the palpable confidence that “the financial system isn't just for someone else, it's for you.”
In Romania, financial education is one of the lowest in Europe. We are closer to negative references from other continents than the average of neighboring countries. With 13% of Romanians having a good or very good financial education, according to the Eurobarometer, we find ourselves in last place and half the knowledge of the Czechs or Croatians, not to mention the Dutch or Danes. The private initiatives of BT, BCR, ING, BRD and projects are doing what they can.
But we don't have what Michael Dell called “a simple but powerful idea like every child's savings account. An idea where everybody starts with something. Everybody has a stake.”
When a donation is not compassion, it is accountability
Dell explained that he contributed because he realized it helps kids “learn about dividends, reinvestment and long-term thinking — not by studying financial theory, but by seeing their money grow steadily. This kind of exposure can change the way kids think about money.”
But there is something else. Michael Dell doesn't think of the $6 billion donation as a one-way charity, but as a way of accountability that will instill trust and responsibility in the little ones, then expand into society and in turn generate opportunities for others.
“It all starts with a single contribution. But over time, it becomes something more. Not just in dollars, but in the habits, confidence and direction it helps build. These accounts give kids a way to take responsibility at a young age and build something that's truly theirs. That's how real opportunity begins to take shape.”
You don't get the fish, you don't even get the rod, you sign to develop a plan that will help others tomorrow as it helps you today.
