Member-only story
5 Things My Personal Finance Journey is Teaching Me About Life
Psst, they have nothing to do with money
This year I decided to take control of my finances. Now, I’m not terrible with money, (at least I don’t think I am) BUT, I could be doing a lot better.
I wasn’t born into financial wealth by any stretch of the imagination. Growing up, it seemed like we always had what we needed, and I always got the extra things I wanted — even if I didn’t get it immediately.
It wasn’t until I applied for FAFSA during my senior year in college that it dawned on me how poor my family actually was. The idea that my single mother was raising us five children on a 17,000$ yearly salary was mind blowing.
One of the many reasons for taking the plunge and striving to be more financially literate are my parents. Both of them modeled terrible financial habits for me. My mother was (and is) always scraping by for money. She will be 66 this year and she doesn’t own a home, have any retirement savings, stocks or bonds, or annuities — no nest egg whatsoever. She still works for crumbs and struggles in her golden age when she should be relaxing.
My late father was a stingy gambler. More often than not, he would bring us old toys and clothes. Getting anything from him brand new was akin to a miracle…
