Chloe Radley, a 34-year-old single mother from Romford, East London, has a bold financial plan for her three-year-old daughter Sienna: a net worth of £459,000 by the time she turns 18. Since Sienna's birth, Chloe has redirected birthday and Christmas gifts from friends and family into savings, accumulating £9,000. In December 2025, she invested this sum into a Junior Stocks & Shares ISA with Hargreaves Lansdown, which has since grown to £11,248—a 12.98% increase.
Strategy of Gifting Cash Over Presents
Chloe explained her reasoning: "Even before Sienna was born, I always said to my friends and family, I don't want you to buy her presents. Rather than her having loads of pointless toys, when me and her dad buy her toys anyway, I would rather people gift her money, so I can save it, so she has enough to buy a house deposit or something when she's older." She received £2,000 at her baby shower and £1,500 after Sienna's birth, all deposited into the savings pot. Now, loved ones contribute around £1,000 annually instead of buying gifts.
Investment Approach and Projected Growth
Chloe targets £9,000 in annual contributions—the maximum for a Junior Stocks & Shares ISA—supplementing family gifts with her own income and proceeds from selling Sienna's outgrown clothes and toys. She invests in the S&P 500 and Vanguard Global ETF. "If I'm able to put £9,000 in each year, she could easily have £459,000 in the account by the time she's 18," she said. "With the power of compounding and the rate of return usually being between 8-10% per year, this could mean she has £459,000 in her account by age 18." She has deposited roughly £162,000 over 15 years, with growth accounting for the rest.
Teaching Financial Literacy
Chloe plans to teach Sienna money management, including contributing 20% of wages from a Saturday job. She hopes Sienna will let the investments grow until age 30, using the funds for a house deposit. "It's so hard to get on the property ladder at the moment, so god knows what it's going to be like when she's older," Chloe added. She acknowledged market volatility, noting, "It was only yesterday that it was 11 grand; it always goes up and down, and you've just got to try and not really pay too much attention to it."
