Excerpt from 28 Escape from Corporate America on Alone with Peter
Most eight-year-olds are thinking about recess. This one was thinking about compound interest.
Tanner Combias started saving every penny at the age of eight years old. In his early teens, he was already investing money and learning the value of compound interest and investment.
He quit his six-figure job to pursue competitive tennis and travel the world in 2018. Three years and 16 countries later he has more money in the bank than when he started. Find out how he did it on Alone with Peter.
A hard-working go-getter, Tanner is excellent at pivoting when the need arises. If you’re interested in minimalism and money-saving, traveling the world, starting a business, or becoming a calculated risk-taker don’t miss the full interview with Tanner Combias on Alone with Peter.
Listen to the full three-part interview below
What drives a child to walk down the street with their head down, scanning for loose change? For this tennis player and travel enthusiast, the answer traces back to a household where money wasn’t a taboo subject — it was a daily lesson.
The Kid Who Saved Everything
It started early. Unusually early. Long before most children understand the concept of a savings account, this self-described “little ridiculous” kid was stockpiling every penny they could find — literally. Walking down sidewalks with eyes fixed to the ground, hunting for spare change wasn’t embarrassing; it was strategy.
But what was the goal? Interestingly, there wasn’t a specific purchase in mind. The motivation was something far more abstract for a child that age: freedom.
“I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted — and that was what I was saving for.”
That kind of thinking — saving not for a thing, but for options — is a hallmark of sophisticated financial reasoning. The fact that it was forming at age eight is remarkable.
The Dad Who Made Money a Dinner Table Topic
Behind every financially savvy kid is usually an influential adult, and in this case, it was a father who worked as a financial advisor. Money wasn’t hidden or hushed in this household. Concepts like:
Living within your means
Intentional spending
Long-term investing
…were part of everyday conversation. The result? A child who didn’t just hear these ideas, but internalized them — and became, by their own admission, obsessed.
The Power of Compound Interest — Learned Young
Perhaps the most striking revelation is how early the concept of compounding interest took hold. Understanding that a small investment today can snowball into something substantial over decades is a principle many adults never fully grasp. Learning it as a child created a mindset shift that proved genuinely life-changing.
As Tanner put it: “It’s very powerful; compounding and investing young. It’s super powerful.”
Key Takeaways
💰 Start the money conversation early. Children absorb financial values from their environment. Normalize talking about saving, spending, and investing at home.
🔁 Teach compound interest young. Even a basic understanding of “money makes more money over time” can spark a lifelong healthy relationship with saving.
🗽 Reframe what you’re saving for. Saving for freedom and options — not just specific purchases — creates a more powerful and sustainable motivation.
👁️ Mindset over income. Financial discipline isn’t about how much you earn; it starts with how you think about every dollar, no matter how small.
👨👧 Parental influence is profound. Whether intentional or not, how parents talk about and handle money shapes their children’s financial futures.
Looking for inspiration for traveling abroad?
Tanner documented his experience extensively on his blog tennisthentravel.com which I highly recommend you check out!
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