7 finance lessons from dear old dad

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”

Everything has a price, whether you can immediately see it or not there is no escape for inevitably having to pay something. Thanks to Dad we approach every “too good to be true” scenario with a healthy dose of skepticism, especially those that could threaten our wallets.

“Everyone deserves professional courtesy”

Dad always taught how to us to respond to emails and messages within one business day to maintain a successful working relationship, but also how to have a professional relationship with our money. Just like responding to messages, paying bills and handling debt should be handled in a timely manner.

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“Rub some dirt on it”

Dad had a very different, however effective, style of parenting that was a stark contrast to Mom’s. While Mom would run over with Band-Aids and kisses ready, Dad would ask if it were life threatening, and if wasn’t he’d simply say, “rub some dirt on it.” Forever interpreted in our minds as “that’s unfortunate, now suck it up and deal with it,” this simple sassy phrase has been responsible for shifting mindsets from victim to victor in many unfortunate situations not just exclusively related to finances.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”

As someone who loved to tinker with things I heard this fairly often. It simply means if something is working correctly there is no need to change or replace it. When you have a budget that is working for you, and your financial situation hasn’t changed, then there’s no need to change anything. Even if your income increases you still should not change a thing. By keeping your expenses the same it will allow you to save at an accelerated rate without any changes to your quality of life.

Happy loving family. Father and his daughter child girl playing

“Surround yourself with people smarter than you”

Dad always said we could be anything we wanted, but not all of us became personal finance professionals. Luckily we were also brought up with the ability to swallow our pride and ask for help when we need it. When you run into trouble, there is always someone who is more qualified than you who can get you back on track.

“Speak up for yourself”

Nothing will ever go your way if you never raise your voice to things that bother you. Don’t let someone else take over your financial future, because it is just that, your finances. Even when you have a professional helping you plan for your future you must stay involved to ensure your wishes are being met.

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“Always have something to look forward to”

While he was always very good at motivating us when we were children, Dad knew he wasn’t going to be able to be there all the time so he taught us a valuable lesson on doing it ourselves. What started out as treating ourselves to a late night ice cream run after getting a good grade on an exam has shifted to making sure we are working hard, investing and saving to have a relaxing retirement to look forward to.