On April 18, 2008, my father passed away from cancer. While it’s a sad day, I always strive to make every day better than the last, as I know that’s what he would have wanted. I would like to dedicate today’s post to him. This is a post I had previously written about him, and it still makes me very happy when I read it. Enjoy!
My dad was a huge part of my life and not talking about him today just wouldn’t make sense. This is especially true because he taught me so many important financial lessons that I still remember to this day.
If it weren’t for my dad, I would probably be, at least, a little worse with money.
Due to this, I believe that teaching your child valuable financial lessons is key. This can help children grow up and be better able to manage a budget, understand investing, know how to save money, and more.
Below are some of the many great financial lessons my father taught me.
He taught me that I could afford to travel.
One of the top financial lessons my father taught me was that I can afford to travel.
My dad traveled all over the world. Besides his family, the other things he loved in life were traveling and airplanes (he was a pilot). He always made sure to fit traveling into his life in any way he could, and I gained many great memories from it.
I still remember him taking me to Disney World ALL THE TIME (I loved it!), him flying me in small planes, and even having a great time just sitting at the airport. He loved every little part about traveling.
He created hundreds of photo albums from his travels which I still look at on a regular basis. I also recently found a travel journal he kept which listed out all of the amazing places he traveled to.
My dad was not rich if that’s what you are thinking. Instead, he worked with his budget and always made sure to fit exciting trips in because that is what he believed in.
For example, he bought a new Camaro in 1984 (this was his baby), and he drove it up until a few months before he passed away in 2008. He didn’t care about furniture, electronics, or anything else. He would often work long hours, he hardly ever called off work, he always had a budget, he always saved money, and more.
He was all about travel and he managed his money well so that he could take trips whenever he could.
He taught me to not live paycheck to paycheck.
My dad was all about having a budget. He went over his budget and his checkbook nearly every single day. Working for the airlines meant that he occasionally got laid off and rehired over and over again.
Due to this, he always made sure to budget his money well.
He always had an emergency fund, he always made sure he spent less money than he made, and he always made sure to put as much money as he could towards retirement.
My dad did anything and everything to make sure that as kids we didn’t have to worry about money or go without anything that we needed. It’s a trait of his that I loved. Even when he would get laid off, he never acted like it was a big deal because he was always prepared.
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He taught me that credit can be used to my advantage.
The topic of credit cards and credit came up a lot when I was younger.
I remember one day my dad was complaining about a scammy credit card commercial. I was super young and said, “I’m never going to have a credit card!”
My dad then told me that credit cards could be used to my advantage if I used them correctly. He then taught me all about how to use credit cards at a young age, and I now use credit cards very often to earn awesome rewards and bonuses.
Just in the year of 2015, I earned over $4,000 in cash back through my credit cards by spending just like how I normally would.
Thanks Dad for another great money lesson!
He taught me that money doesn’t have to limit you.
Out of all of the money lessons he taught me, this last one is probably the most important.
Even though my dad passed away too young, lived on a budget, and saved for a retirement that he never got to experience, I truly believe that he still lived the life he wanted to live.
He was still able to travel all over the world and he visited many, many countries. I’m not sure how many countries he visited but I’m sure it was well over 50.
I think the most important money lesson that I learned from my father is that money doesn’t have to control you. Even though you will never know when your last day is, you can still save and spend your money wisely, while also living the life you want.
Too many people believe that they can’t lead a good life on a budget. That is not true at all. You can still live a great life while managing your money, and without regret.
What financial lessons did your parents teach you? What financial lessons will you make sure you teach your children?
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Heartwarming and beautiful to read. I’ve contemplated getting my pilot’s license. It’s so awesome you were able to gain so much insight from your dad. I never really learned a lot about money from either of my parents. Their lives were filled with lots of debt and buying possessions rather than experiences. I feel as if my fondness of all things personal finance developed from wanting to be better with money than my parents were.
Thank you.
This is amazing! I believe I’ve learned these lessons along the way but it sure feels great to get confirmation from your Dad that I’m right on track.
Thanks 🙂
This is such a heartwarming post. I’m sorry to hear about what happened. It is great that he instilled a lot of positive financial habits into you early on in life.You just reminded me that I need to spend more time with my parents. Thanks for your article!
Welcome 🙂
Thank you so much Michelle for sharing your dad with us 🙂 He sounds like a wonderful man. Now we know where you got your love of travel from!
Yes, he was a wonderful man 🙂
Thanks!
Yes!
My dad passed away on this day also, but in 2004. He taught me to be careful with my finances for which I am very grateful.
These posts are always so hard to read :/ Do you listen to country (haha, I know a lot of people don’t) but there’s this song called You Should Be Here and it’s everything. My parents always raised me that I could be anything I want and that all big business decisions happen on the golf course (hence the golf lessons growing up)
Sadly my parents taught me how to live above my means and never believed in a budget. My dad once had a thriving business that his ex-wife ruined for him. Though I suppose they taught me one valuable lesson: don’t do what they did. Don’t live paycheck to paycheck because you know how hard that is. Don’t waste money on stupid things (like addictions, my parents’ happened to be cigarettes) and save wisely. I’m still learning how to manage my money, but honestly your blog has been astoundingly helpful to me. I’m so glad I stumbled upon it a few months ago on Pinterest.
Honestly, while I have great parents, they never really taught me any financial lessons. Unless showing me what not to do counts. 🙂
Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned on my own and with my husband. From reading this post, I can tell that you love your dad dearly. You are lucky to have had parent who taught you so many great lessons.
My dad was the exact opposite of yours. He is terrible with money and still is. He treats debit cards like credit cards and is always spending more money than he has. When my mother was still around it took her taking away his debit card just to get things on track. She always managed to find ways to give a little extra to those in need and give us everything we could ever want. I feel like she did everything she wanted to do though, and they went on a lot of adventures together. But I guess he needed my mom to keep him on track
Very cool, Michelle. I think it’s so great that your Dad loved travel and extended that to you. Based on your travels around the US it’s pretty clear you inherited that passion!
This is an incredible post Michelle! I want my kids to understand a budget is not a restriction on the quality of life you can have. It’s awesome your dad provided you with such great lessons as a child. Not everyone receives these lessons and that is not something I want for my kids.
“Too many people believe that they can’t lead a good life on a budget. That is not true at all. You can still live a great life while managing your money, and without regret.”
That last line couldn’t be more true! In fact, I like to look at budgeting as a fun challenge. Just cut our wireless bill significantly. It’s going to be 1/3 what it used to be and I’m so excited!
Great blog post and the life lessons shared here is worth learning! I think money is important in life but you’ve to earn and spend it honestly to enjoy the life and happiness of contribution. Managing finance is very challenging in every step of life, you’ve to be creative every time.