Things Our Moms Taught Us About Success

Moms are real-life superheroes. They’re the first person you call when you need advice or a good vent session. Whether it’s tying your shoes or managing your money, there’s so much you learn from them at any age.

In fact, over half of women say they’re the primary financial decision-makers, and two-thirds agree they can’t rely on their spouse to handle the investing. [1] But it hasn’t always been this way. Even though women have managed the family finances for decades, until the mid-1970s, unmarried women needed a male cosigner on any credit application, regardless of their incomes.

Now, not only are women the ones managing the finances, they’re also the ones teaching kids about financial concepts like credit. 59 percent say they’re the ones who teach their kids about money. [1] To learn more about this phenomenon, Credit.com asked people to send in the best financial advice they had from their moms. From high level tips like investing in yourself, to advice on moving money to a savings account, our moms have tons of wisdom to instill. Read on below to see some of our favorite quotes and lessons.

“Something my mom always stressed growing up was the importance of having good credit. Even if you’re young and don’t have much credit, one of the most important things everyone should learn to do from an early age is start repaying student loans at rates they can afford and trying to qualify for credit cards to establish some level of credit. As you build this over time and years, it’s absolutely a cornerstone of financial stability, especially in qualifying for real estate.” —Beverly Friedmann

“The best financial guidance my mother gave me was to open my first credit card account when I got my first job. She would tell me to purchase gas or small things periodically on the card and pay it off the next month to help build my credit history. She put me as the co-buyer on my first car. Both of these helped me to graduate HS/College with a 730 credit!” —Donique Jones

“The best financial lesson I ever learned from my Mom was the danger of credit card debt. According to my Mom shortly after I was born, my parents started slowly racking up charges on their credit cards. Since I really enjoyed math, my Mom sat down with me and explained how credit cards work and where they had gone wrong. This helped me understand the danger. They’ve now been out of credit card debt for more than two decades, which has taught me another lesson, living within your means really is the key to a less stressful life.” —Ian Wright

Credit isn’t the only financial concept people learned from their moms, though. Here are some other things moms can teach us about success:

infographic on things moms taught us on success

Whether it’s a lesson on building credit that saves you thousands on your first loan, or lessons on standing up for yourself in the workplace that earn you a promotion, never underestimate your mom’s wisdom. If you do, you may be at risk of hearing “I told you so” very soon.

And if you haven’t thanked your mom in a while, let her know how much she means to you. Moms are often silent heroes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate the gratitude every once in a while.

Cheers to strong women who teach us the valuable life lessons that make us who we are.

Sources:

Allianz Life: Allianz Women, Money, and Power Study