Part 4   

Finance

I didn’t grow up in a family with a ton of money, but we had enough. We also didn’t talk about finances very much, which I later realized influenced my entire attitude around this topic: as a conversation to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. As a young adult, I fell squarely into a circular camp of naiveté: I didn’t think I knew “enough” (whatever that means) about finances, which made me feel stupid, so I avoided learning more—until I dug myself into a hole of credit card and student loan debt. For a long time, paying off debt felt too impossible, too long of a road. Any amount I could technically repurpose toward debt seemed like a drop in the bucket, but eventually the desire to develop better money smarts won out.

Money, whether you have a little or plenty or not enough, evokes emotion, and your financial skills often depend on a constellation of experiences: how you were raised, how your parents handled money, the reality of your paycheck over the years, the amount of debt you have or lack thereof, job security, and more. In this part we’ll talk about how you can do the same: rid yourself of debt, actually build an emergency fund, donate on a budget, save for retirement, know exactly where your money goes, plan for birthdays and special occasions, and live based on your means. After all, money is power—but more than that, it’s freedom.