Your Financial Literacy Story

Money is a tricky thing. And an oddly simple thing. It can be empowering. And then humbling. It can provide immensely satisfying security and generosity. And it can be the source for deep greed and the abuse of power.

But we all get our ideas about money from somewhere. Because the one thing I know for sure. Is that beliefs—whether they’re true or false—are built over time. And those beliefs start at a very young age. And are then nurtured positively or negatively in the environments in which we live.

And I also know. That as an adult. Owning, challenging, refining, and expanding upon those beliefs. Is both my responsibility and my privilege.

I grew up in a home where my mom stayed at home. And my dad worked a high pressure, high paying job at IBM—back in the day when big companies provided financial security and medical benefits all the way into retirement. Something we can’t even hardly wrap our minds around today.

I grew up in upper middle class privilege. Never worrying about food, clothing, or shelter. All my basic needs were met. And I was one of the lucky ones, born on third base, to parents who were able to give me most of what I wanted, too.

My dad had an incredibly strong work ethic outside of the home. And my mom did, too, inside our home. They impressed upon us that it was our responsibility to live independent, responsible, ethical lives. It was a given that we would go to college. And they taught us that our future was entirely up to us. All they could do was give us a leg up.

We didn’t live extravagantly. And we were taught to tithe. To give anonymously. To see the needs of others. They showed us, by example, how to take care of ourselves. AND to not forget that there are those who don’t have the same privilege. I was lucky in so many ways.

We saw that “Big Blue” (IBM) was the foundation that allowed my dad to thrive in sales, eventually becoming the President of the 100% Club —chosen from the entire nation. And we also understood that his success was not guaranteed. He came from a lower middle class background, where college was not the norm. He hustled his ass off, joined the ROTC, worked part time, and funded his way through night school. He earned his opportunity in life and then became a good steward of it. And we were able to see and know his story.

My mom, however, was a book keeper by trade. She grew up in poverty, relying heavily on kindness from her church and its members. She graduated high school with a penchant for math and became a bookkeeper at Western and Southern. I remember the pictures of her Jackie O. inspired suits, high heels, and bright lipstick. She found her occupational niche, but her passion was being a Mom—and she eventually stayed home with her five Babes.

And the task of making financial ends meet became hers to own. While she furiously and painstakingly and selflessly raised us. We saw her balancing the checkbook each month…down to the penny…making all the financial decisions that were within her control. Ones that kept us financially afloat.

This very traditional dichotomy left a huge imprint on me. I saw a strict division of labor. Each pulling their own share to the best of their ability. But there were pressures that leaked into our family life. My dad, charged with the heavy responsibility of solely providing for a large family, was consumed by work. Leaving the lion share of the home front completely in the capable and overwhelmed hands of my mom.

And as I grew up. Became more attuned with our family. And its dynamics. I came to understand that we placed a high value on the fact that IBM would take care of us. Financially and medically and otherwise—we trusted in the American dream.

And I began to understand that while my dad made an incredible living. We were living paycheck to paycheck—relying on a future from IBM that was far beyond my dad’s control. And my mom, while in charge of stretching the dollars given to her. Really had no ultimate control of the financial decisions that secured a stable financial future.

And that, friends, is the beginning of what shaped my financial literacy. What imprinted on me at a very young age. What seeped into the cracks of my brain. And has influenced me subtly, passively, and actively for all the days of my life.

And my financial story has evolved and morphed and changed. Because of. And in spite of. My upbringing.

But that’s a story for another day. What I know for sure today. Is that each of you has a financial literacy story, too. That is rooted in where you came from.

And that story will either play out generationally or be re-designed by you consciously. So get to know your own story. Because the clues will lead you. To knowing how you want to write the pages. Of the rest of your financial days.