Benjamins, Benjie, Bills, Bread, Bucks, C-note, Cabbage, Clams, Coin,
Dead presidents, Dough, Greenbacks, Jackson, Kiwi, Lettuce, Loot, Moolah,
Sawbuck, Scratch, Singles, Smackers, Spot, Two bits or whatever you want to
call it, money greases the world.
Some say we are financial
illiterate?
With money anyone can purchase the needs for survival and possible
posterity and without money anyone must depend on charity, illegal means,
possible bankruptcy or possible suicide.
How did you learn how to
handle money?
Most would aspire for the parents to teach children on the value of money
with allowances in payment for chores done. Some would hope that parents would
confide their efforts to provide for the family’s welfare and thus enter the
child into the economic world with desire for gainful employment and a good
salary.
What did our parents have
for reference?
Their parents had been merchants, farmers, fishermen or lumberjacks scratching
out a living without family planning education or practice. Their parents had
settled the land. The land was the inheritance passed down for generations.
After the bubble burst in the 20’s, our parents were handed the
depression. Suddenly barter was out the window and the federal government
became the parents to help out with bread, milk and eggs.
During the war there was work but rations. After the war (to end all
wars, again) tanks turned into refrigerators and new roads helped sell cars and
everything looked good with easy bank credit.
My father kept (worked) the books while always working the deals, but he
never taught me any of how that worked. He did show me how to get a bank
account and put my weekly paycheck in a little book stamped by the teller only
to immediately take it back out to purchase my desires. He never taught me
about credit cards because he never had a credit card. He knew cash. He never
showed me there were other means of accumulating cash, but I found out by
myself.
He did teach me how to use a ledger (now an Excel spreadsheet) and keep
track of all my expense and save the receipts (but he didn’t tell me the ink
would fade away causing hours of frustration). He also taught me how to do my
own taxes.
Now there are all sorts of financial planners and advisors present financial
products, services, planning or advice related to investing, retirement,
insurance, mortgages, college savings, estate planning, taxes and more.
They will tell you how to handle money as long as they get a
piece-of-the-pie. Look at any late night or weekend television for advice for
how to invest or not invest, to buy or save or just stick all your cash in a
pillow under the bed for a rainy day.
Money keeps you awake at night. Either figuring out new skims on how to
make more or worried about the debt collectors calling, money is always on your
mind. When you have enough money, you want more. When you don’t have ‘enough
money’ it is an addiction to find a way out of debt. Culture always bombards images;
reminders of millionaires (and now billionaires) cars and houses and boats and
vacations to lust after.
Salaries are one of our biggest complaints (other than not having enough
sex). Employees are given money to do a required task in a time limit. Pay
scales are set (without transparency) so the water cooler talk is about ‘who is
making more money than another by rumor and gossip’. Backbiting turns to
distraction and productivity decline and finally union bartering and threat of
strikes. If employers posted salaries to start with everyone would know where
they stood and could ask what they needed to do to make more money.
Money (like sex and religion) just isn’t talked about in polite societies,
except to speak of the pride our possessions, status, vacations and even
children’s education can be compared against others.
I can’t tell you how to
handle your sawbucks, anymore than raising your children and treating your
spouse or pet.
I don’t have all the answers but if I got two nickels to rub together I
feel blessed and I’ll give one who is down on their luck.
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