What’s On! Mission - Life of a Writer

PAVI TOOR.  JAIDEN TOOR.  PRAVIN TOOR

These 'Young Guns' have been blazing a trail in our community through the Young Guns Weightlifting Club. Their fundraising efforts and initiatives have earned them recognition, including the 2021 Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards for Innovative Initiative (Small Organization) and a Community Service Award (Under age 25) from the City of Mission. Now, the father and sons team - Pavi, Jaiden, and Pravin Toor - can add “author” to their list of accomplishments.

Reading Learn 2 Invest Kid was nostalgic, fun, and easy to read. Incorporating superheroes, recognizable brands, and real-life experiences has made the book and the subject of finances relatable, understandable, and approachable. The book is a great starting place for young people (and their parents) to begin asking questions, doing research, and thinking about their own finances.

Pavi, already experienced in fostering community engagement, initiated a free program for youth in the Fraser Valley. In 2019, he started Young Guns Weightlifting Club to teach his boys and other kids how to lift weights safely and properly. Several students of Young Guns went on to compete and win at the Canadian Powerlifting Championships and the North American Powerlifting Championships.

During the pandemic, raising funds for the club was a challenge. They pivoted by selling club merchandise, protein donuts, and hosting a gala. They opted to invest the proceeds in dividend-paying stocks, eliminating the need to seek government grants or other funding sources.

When Jaiden and Pravin began discussing unfamiliar cryptocurrency trends and the practice of buying bankrupt companies based on advice from YouTube celebrities, Pavi - an UFV graduate with a BBA degree - recognized another need: to teach his kids about investing. Investing can be a dry subject even in the best of times, but he engaged his sons through a blog. “This also provided us with something productive to do during the pandemic since we were all at home. We published up to 20 posts, and my older son even used the blog for school projects,” says Pavi.

The trio then decided to share what they learned with the broader community, aiming to help young people and their families learn about investing in blue-chip dividend-paying stocks, with a focus on capital appreciation and dividends. Their blog posts were compiled into a book, Learn 2 Invest Kid.

The club's funds are invested in blue-chip dividend-paying stocks, such as Royal Bank, Suncor Energy, Disney, Nike, and Starbucks. The investment returns cover our club costs, making them free for youth. Over the years, we've also been able to donate to numerous community projects and local organizations, including St. Joseph's Food Bank, Mission schools' breakfast and lunch programs, various local youth sports teams, the CT Scanner project, and the purchase of a new portable blood pressure machine, along with three pocket talkers, for the Mission Specialized Seniors Clinic.

With simple and clear language, Learn 2 Invest Kid will help people gain confidence and invest like a superhero. Proceeds from book sales will go to the club and community projects. Copies of Learn 2 Invest Kid can be purchased online through Amazon, Indigo, and Goodreads.