Mother’s Day, Money, and the Conversations We Inherit
Today, I had the privilege of sitting with my mom on Mother’s Day. We talked about finances and investing, and I asked her a question that felt simple but carried a lot: What do you wish you had known sooner about money?
Her answer was honest, and it stayed with me.
“How to save,” she said.
In that moment I saw the pattern: what she didn’t know set the stage for what I didn’t know. My parents didn’t pass down the elusive idea of “generational wealth” in a formal way. Instead, I learned through a combination of formal education, trial and error, and lived experience — everything from college funding and scholarships to saving and investing.
She said something else that resonated deeply:
“I was just trying to keep up with expenses. I didn’t have much to save.”
And that is the reality for so many parents.
Right now, the average U.S. household income is around $80,000 per year. And between inflation, rising costs of living, and gaps in financial education, saving (let alone investing) can feel out of reach for many families.
Maybe you’re a parent still working through your own financial journey. There is no shame in that. Maybe you’re a parent actively trying to break generational cycles so your children can be more prepared, more confident, and more supported than you were. That is something to be proud of.
So today, on Mother’s Day, I want to offer this reminder: the goal is NOT perfection. The goal is not knowing everything about college, credit, or investing. The goal is building and modeling foundational skills that carry your young person forward, especially financial habits.
Habits are what create stability. Habits create access. Habits create change across generations.
So how can parents support strong financial habits early on?
My recommendation: start with a money routine. A simple, consistent rhythm around money. Talking about it, tracking it, and saving intentionally can shift everything over time. Let me say it again, this does not need to be a complicated system. What you are building is a consistent rhythm that normalizes money.
A money routine can be as simple as a weekly or biweekly check-in, even 15–20 minutes where you sit down and look at three things:
1. What is coming in?
Income, side work, benefits — just clarity on what resources exist in the household.
2. What has to go out?
Rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, school costs. The non-negotiables.
3. What can be set aside, even in small amounts?
Not what’s “ideal,” but what’s realistic. Sometimes that’s $5. Sometimes it’s $50. The amount matters less than the consistency. In fact, allowing your young adult to see the fluidity of budgeting and saving will benefit them in the long run.
When young people grow up in homes where money is either invisible or stressful, they often inherit anxiety instead of understanding. This was central to my own story early on. I watched my parents argue over money decisions—both big and small—and it was a topic I was often excluded from entirely. But when money becomes part of a normal, calm conversation, even if the numbers are tight, it becomes something they can learn from instead of fear.
Over time, this does something powerful: it removes mystery. And when you remove mystery from money, you replace it with skill.
You don’t need to teach your child everything about investing, credit, or taxes all at once. You just need to give them repeated exposure to how financial decisions are made in real life so that when they face those decisions on their own, they aren’t starting from zero.
To all the parents breaking generational cycles and equipping their youth with strategy and knowledge, you are doing meaningful work.
And today, we especially celebrate the mothers who are continuing to grow, learn, and set healthy examples that will carry our youth forward.
Happy Mother’s Day.
