yeah but the two are different things no? Like yes if you take more risk with even diversified, passive funds you will like get more volatility which could go e

yeah but the two are different things no? Like yes if you take more risk with even diversified, passive funds you will like get more volatility which could go either way. There is no way you can know it will drawf interest rates provided by the bank which are designed not to beat inflation but prevent your cash from getting eaten away by the inflation as opposed to sitting in your basement locker etc. Also the idea doesn't seem to be "hey kids beat the market and get the best returns" but to gradually show the value of accumulated savings? They can also contribute their own earnings to those savings and at that age it is better to keep it in bank and accumulate interest than invest even in diversified low risk funds if your objective is to get the best savings by the time you are an adult and then you can decide what you want to invest in.