Investing Education:
Preppy Prep
The Missing Piece of a world-class education.
Preppy Prep, a fun and exciting way to receive serious, meaningful instruction centered on investing and long-term wealth creation. Cohorts are live, interactive, and taught by a Certified Wealth Strategist®. Students walk away with the foundation they need for a successful financial future and the Junior Market Scholar Credential.
100% Education. No prior knowledge required.
From "What is investing?"
To "Now I understand."
The Preppy Prep Learning Journey
From "What is investing?" to "Now I understand."
Every student starts with the fundamentals. From there the curriculum moves step by step through cash, bonds, stocks, funds, accounts, taxes, and how a portfolio works.
01
02
03
04
Fundamentals
Accounts & Taxes
05
Investments
Funds & ETFs
Confident Investor
The Preppy Prep Learning journey
Every student starts with the fundamentals. From there the curriculum moves step by step through cash management, bonds, stocks, funds, accounts, taxes, and portfolio strategy.
10 Modules
Quiz and Knowledge Checks
Mid Term & Final
Capstone
JWS
Junior Wealth Strategist Designation
Investing Vocabulary
Cash Mangement & Fixed Income
Equities, Mutual Funds, & Indexing
Account Types & Taxes
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The Preppy Prep
Curriculum
A complete, structured journey from the fundamentals of investing to the principles of how a portfolio fits together.
No prior knowledge required
Judgment-free zone
Live instructor who cares about your understanding
YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
01
03
Understand
The Fundamentals
Explore
Investment Options
02
Learn
Mutual Funds & ETFs/Index Funds
Build
04
05
Account Type & Tax understanding
Become
A Confident Investor
Junior Market Scholar
10 MODULES
Investment Policy Statement
We don’t tell students what to invest in. We teach them how to understand investing for themselves.
THE PREPPY PREP EXPERIENCE
Students enter a structured investment education academy where they are welcomed into a learning community, introduced to a commitment to academic excellence and responsible financial decision-making, guided through an engaging curriculum, challenged to apply what they learn, and recognized for successfully completing the program's requirements.
BELONG
FOUNDATIONS
Become part of the Academy.
From the Student Pledge to graduation, every step is designed to make students feel welcomed, connected, and proud to be part of Preppy Prep.
Build Knowledge Before Building the Wealth
Students discover why investing matters, how wealth differs from income, and how inflation, saving, and compound growth shape long-term financial outcomes.
We don't tell students WHAT to think about investing. We teach them HOW to think about investing.
Three pillars that prepare students to understand investing, evaluate financial decisions, and navigate the accounts and tax rules they’ll encounter throughout life.
THE PREPPY PREP FRAMEWORK
ENGAGE
INVESTMENT OPTIONS
Discover the excitement of investing.
Interactive lessons, real-world examples, and hands-on activities turn complex financial concepts into an experience students want to be part of.
Exploring the Building Blocks of Wealth
Liquidity & cash management - bonds - stocks - mutual funds - ETFs - direct indexing - expense ratios and fees - how to balance risk to meet short, intermediate, and long-term goals.
MASTER
ACCOUNT TYPES & TAXES
Unlock your potential.
Every concept mastered is a step toward greater confidence, independence, and a deeper understanding of your financial future.
Think Beyond the Investment
Brokerage and retirement accounts; examine their distinguishing characteristics, and how taxes can affect net return/worth. Investment income, short, long-term capital gains and their IRS forms.
Private School
Investment Academy
FOR SCHOOLS, STUDENTS, & FAMILIES
An independent investment education program offered outside school hours that empowers students with real-world financial knowledge while earning the Preppy Prep "Junior Wealth Strategist" recognition.
No Curriculum
Changes
Outside School
Hours
Junior Wealth
Strategist
THE CAPSTONE ACHIEVEMENT
Graduate with the Junior Market Scholar Credential.
The Junior Market Scholar curriculum doesn't just end with a final class. Students who successfully master our 10 modules earn the exclusive Junior Market Academy Certificate.
This credential is a mark of rigorous financial distinction. It demonstrates to universities, admissions boards, and future employers that your child has taken the proactive initiative to master a sophisticated, real-world understanding of capital markets and wealth preservation well ahead of their peers.
What the Credential Signifies:
Institutional Literacy: Complete mastery of stocks, bonds, asset classes, and wealth management terminology.
Strategic Frameworks: Proven capability to evaluate market risk, diversification strategies, and investment horizons.
Fiscal Responsibility: A foundational command over real-world tax mechanics, account structures, and long-term financial planning.
BRIGHTER MINDS, STRONGER TOMORROWS.
“Nearly everyone will eventually make investment decisions that can shape their lives for decades. Yet most students are never taught how investing works. I started Junior Market Scholar Academyto change that.”
— Patrick Vaught, Founder
LEARN WITH PREPPY PREP
Meet the Founder
Patrick D. Vaught
Former Securities Principal & Certified Wealth Strategist
Patrick D. Vaught is an active Certified Wealth Strategist® who built his professional career advising and educating ultra-high-net-worth families, including those with $100M plus in investable assets.
Working closely with some of the most financially sophisticated families in the country taught him something unexpected: even highly successful adults were rarely taught the fundamentals of investing at an early stage of life. Many wished someone had sat down with them earlier to explain how money and markets work; it is not a lack of intelligence, but simply a lack of baseline knowledge that is rarely taught in schools.
This observation became the catalyst for the Junior Market Scholar Academy. The Academy was founded to bring clarity and understanding to investing. We break down complex investment concepts and strategies into simple, universally understandable terms—giving students the knowledge and confidence to understand how investing works and why it matters.
— Patrick Vaught, Founder
About Preppy Prep & Our Founder
Founder, Preppy Prep | Former Ultra-High-Net-Worth Advisor