Frank Hawk

Tony Hawk's dad pushed him to buy a house at 17 and cosigned it

Seeing that teenage Tony was careless with his royalty income and wasn't saving for taxes, his father suggested he buy a new duplex nearby and cosigned because Tony wasn't 18. Tony says his dad taught him to back his kids' passions even when they aren't careers. He does the same now, taking his theater-loving daughter to Broadway shows.

“When I was 17, there was a new development of homes going up, of duplexes near where my parents lived. And my dad said, I think that it would be a good idea to, to try to get one of these homes and I can cosign for you because you're not 18. And I mean, all I heard was, you're going to get your own place. You know what I mean? Like, it wasn't about— it wasn't about the financial future. It was more like, oh my God, I have a place to party.”