Founder
Jay Bhakta
Founder of Outsmart the System. Author of Outsmart the System. Gilbert, Arizona.
Jay Bhakta is the founder of Outsmart the System, an education company in Gilbert, Arizona. He works with parents and teens on the skills school leaves out: earning, investing, judgment, and follow-through.
Why this company exists
He spent 20 years building businesses and was financially illiterate for most of his career. He learned it the hard way at 38. That gap is the reason the company exists. He built the program he wishes someone had run for his own kids.
The work starts with the parent. Kids learn money from what the adults around them actually do, not from what those adults say. So Outsmart the System is built for the household, not just the teen.
What Outsmart the System runs
Takes a teen from an idea to a first paying customer. A personalized roadmap, a resource kit, and a one-to-one session.
Builds judgment and patience, starting with paper trading and companies teens already use. Never stock picks, never return promises.
For the adult who has restarted a dozen times and wants consistency that survives a real week.
Every program puts the teen in front. They complete their own roadmap, decide what to share with their parents, and do the work themselves. Jay's job is to be the guide, not the hero of the story.
The book
Jay is the author of Outsmart the System: How to Raise Kids Who Can Handle Money, Pressure, and Real Life, with contributions from Laurel Portie, Nic Peterson, and Jeff Spencer. It is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
The foundation
Jay also founded the Outsmart the System Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that gives families free financial literacy and emotional intelligence tools for kids ages 10 and up. The foundation is a separate organization from Outsmart the System LLC.
Elsewhere
Press and speaking
For interviews, podcast appearances, or speaking, email Jay directly.
The five money patterns parents pass to teens without saying a word, and one move that interrupts each. A free 10-minute read.
Read the 5 Money Stories primerOutsmart the System is education only. It is not financial, investment, tax, legal, medical, or fitness advice.