Erik Finman, teenage millionaire

In 2011, Erik Finman, who is based out of the United States, was just 12 years old when he received a generous gift of $1,000 from his grandmother. Most other kids his age would use the money to buy a new smartphone or the latest video game console, but Erik decided to invest everything in Bitcoin.

That decision had paid off big time because Bitcoin was valued at $1,200 a piece just two years later, which is when he decided to sell his Bitcoins and use the money his investment had earned him to launch an online education company called Botangle, a web venture providing video tutoring services.

It didn’t take a long time for Botangle to catch the attention of investors, who presented Erik with a seemingly difficult choice: sell the company for either $100,000 or 300 Bitcoins. For Erik, however, there was just one answer, and you already know what it was. Yes, Erik decided to bet everything on Bitcoin one more time. Why? Perhaps because he made a bet with his parents that if he turned 18 and was a millionaire, they wouldn’t force him to go to college.

“I can proudly say I made it, and I’m not going to college,” said Erik in an interview with CNBC. “The way the education system is structured now, I wouldn’t recommend it. It doesn’t work for anyone. I would recommend the internet, which is all free. You can learn a million times more off YouTube and Wikipedia.”

Now he focuses on ether as an investment.