to ask you to examine your habits, to think back to childhood lessons about money, and to wonder about the impact of the culture of money we operate within. I'm going to ask you to consider the hard questions. Why do people handle money so differently? Why are some people so disciplined with money and others aren't? Why are some people so generous and others aren't? How has the history of our culture impacted beliefs about money? What can I do to be an ally to others and to help others improve financially too?
Maybe now you can see why someone with a history background became a financial writer. For me, it's never really been about teaching people how to budget, although that is a part of what I do. It's more about helping people examine their own stories and their past as a way to enlighten them and help them make good choices in the future. It's about helping people face their demons and recognize their own strength to change their money stories. It's about showing moms that they are more than “just” moms, that they hold incredible power. It's about saying I understand. I've been there. Let's grow together.
So, I hope you don't mind that there won't be complicated calculations in this book. Instead, this book is going to be a mixture of personal finance, personal development, some too‐personal stories of my own journey with money, and hopefully some encouragement along the way. My goal is to walk with you, inspire you, and help you realize that you already possess all the skills necessary to be a boss with your money. You just have to look within yourself to find the answers, and I'll guide you on that path.
After reading Mom's Got Money, my hope is that you'll:
Understand your money history and your money mindset.
Effectively manage your money like a boss.
Work with your family in a budget meeting, whether your family is a spouse and several kids or just you and your teenager.
Ensure that you pay all your bills on time every time.
Think big when it comes to your future and the legacy you want to leave.
Surround yourself with friends who will be a positive influence on you, your children, and your financial goals.
Become an ally to other women and help them succeed on their money journey.
Learn the art and joy of giving and pass on that lesson to your children.
I will count this book as a success if you connect with just one story in here and it prompts you to take the next step and learn more. My wish is that this book becomes one of many personal finance books on your shelf. The more you read, the more you can craft a personal finance perspective and plan that fits you and your own goals.
Every financial writer has a unique story and personal experiences to bring to the table, and this is likely the only book you'll find by a historian turned financial writer turned mom and entrepreneur. And maybe that's exactly as it should be, because perhaps I'm meeting you at just the right time. You likely need a friend, someone who is a fellow mom and gets it, to help you along the way. And, hopefully, that person is me.
My goal is to help you master a few money lessons so you'll start to truly enjoy money. I would love to help you feel in control of your bills, caught up, and with room to spare. I hope to encourage you to advocate for yourself, improve, and most importantly—breathe.
Eventually, with enough practice, you can become the money boss you were always meant to be, and I'll be right here to help you get there. This is more about mindset than it is about money. And luckily, motherhood has perfectly prepared you to succeed with money. You just didn't know it—until now.
CHAPTER 1 Shifting to a Boss Mindset
I sat nervously in the waiting room of the student health clinic on my husband's medical school campus. I booked my appointment when my husband had a break between classes so he could be there with me, and I was waiting for him to arrive.
We were there to confirm that I was, in fact, pregnant. Clearly, the five positive pregnancy tests my Type A self took the days prior were not enough for me. I needed answers. Facts.
My husband arrived, and we were led to a small, freezing room where the ultrasound tech was waiting for us. The tech wasn't a man of many words. He hardly greeted us except to tell me to lie down on the cold table so we could start the ultrasound. I shifted nervously, the paper crinkling beneath me, the silence deafening.
There we were, two hopeful (possibly?) new parents, and the tech wasn't speaking as he worked. Doesn't he want to ask me any questions? Doesn't he at least want to talk about the weather? I glanced at my husband. He didn't seem to mind the complete silence. He was watching the screen intently, so I thought I should probably do the same.
I looked over at the blobs squinting, trying to make out something, anything. I waited.
It felt like an eternity before tech spoke. Really, it was likely only a few minutes. But, the question he asked tore through the silence like a freight train. His question would change my life forever.
“So, do twins run in your family?”
There's nothing quite like the moment you find out you're going to be a mother. And we all have different experiences, whether we were expecting it or were surprised by it. Maybe you were waiting an exceptionally long time for it to happen or perhaps you waited years to adopt and the phone call finally comes.
In that moment, when the tech showed me my twins, I felt a healthy dose of shock. Much as my husband and I were trying to start a family, I did not once expect to be staring at a screen with two little dots on it. That was probably evident from the fact that I said, “Holy shit” over and over and over again, completely unfazed by my husband, who kept whispering, “Shhh, stop saying that!”
I went home that day in a daze, holding the long sheet of ultrasound pictures with little lines pointing to the dots that said, “Twin A” and “Twin B.” I cut one of the pictures out and put it in a frame by our bed, and I stared at it. I just couldn't believe it. I felt different. I had two extra people with me! The responsibility felt enormous, but from that moment forward, it was clear I had to prepare and plan—after I went and vomited in the trashcan, of course.
One of my core beliefs is that all of us are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. On the day I found out about my twins, I truly didn't know how I was going to manage being a mom to two babies. I was 26 years old with a job, a growing side hustle as a blogger and freelance writer, and a husband who was a second‐year medical school student (with such a long, long way to go before he reached the end of his training).
But I knew that, one way or another, I would figure it out. That's the thing; we all have an enormous ability to learn new things and to hone our skills. And, if you're a mom, you already know how to think on your feet. You've already managed incredible levels of responsibility. You know how to plan. And managing your money fits in well with that skill set. Right now, though, you're overwhelmed and you likely don't know where to start. That's why I'm here to help.
For the past decade, I've been supporting other moms in my career as a personal finance writer and financial educator. Through my work and talking to hundreds of other women, I've noticed that money, more than any other topic, produces the most anxiety and emotional baggage. It's also a source of shame and rarely do women feel confident when talking about it.
But, the great thing about personal finance is that the knowledge is available to everyone,
