Your $tock Mom

So you’re probably wondering who the “$tock Mom” is; me, too. Kidding, sort of; it’s a name tagged on me by my son. I am the grateful and proud mom of two very beautiful and brilliant, intelligent, creative, thoughtful, young adults who tolerated my single parenting since they were preschoolers. I have been practicing and impassioned about building and maintaining savings ever since I was a preschooler.

I had always been a coin saver and was lucky to be able to participate in and benefit from the rare school-savings program offered at my elementary school. At a very young age, I remember sitting on the floor in my bedroom and spending hours playing with the coins and dollars that I had accumulated. I loved the feel of money, the embossed textured surface, the various metals of the coins, and the intricate artwork of the paper bills. I would organize the coins according to shininess, size, date, and color.

When I had accumulated too many of one coin to place into those tricky and pesky paper holders, my dad would drive me to the bank where the coins were poured into a machine to be counted, then added to my passbook. Even at that age, though awe-struck and impressed, I did not trust that big, fancy, automated technology and wondered if I was getting an exact count or being ripped off. I am a skeptic by nature and cannot remember a time not being one.

It was such a thrill to see my money grow; and it was ALL MINE! Every birthday, holiday, and occasion that I received any gift money, I placed all or most of it into my savings. It eventually seemed to take on a life of its own. It never occurred to me that this behavior was a bit unconventional; it seemed so logical to me. I thought that everyone would be doing the same, building their own “bank” and growing their own money.

It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and I am a single mother with whom the adage fit. It was a necessity for me to find a way to afford and fulfill my commitment of being a stay-at-home, actively-engaged mom so that I could best meet the needs, wishes, and expectations of my children. Out of necessity, I found many creative ways to grow money and cover our living expenses. It wasn’t until my son at age two found a hundred-dollar bill under his foot in our public pool that I started to invest in the stock market. I matched his hundred-dollar bill for his sister and, after thoroughly researching the financial options, invested the money in the appropriate mutual fund for them.

Which brings me to this blog site – the credit for its conception due my son with reinforcement from my daughter and the encouragement of family and friends – that I share my thoughts, experiences, analysis, and methods that I have gleaned and practiced successfully during my lifetime regarding personal financial management and the growth and preservation of wealth:  from growing a savings to credit control, from investing and portfolio self-management to tax considerations, from career planning to financing college and other endeavors.

The purpose of this blog site is to provide a comfy place to share information, research, analysis, questions, and ideas – a financial hub, a library, of information for all things personal finance – for building and maintaining financial security.  Speaking as a devoted mom and former certified public school teacher, teaching is in my DNA.  It is my hope that this site will educate and provide some of the information and tools necessary to help you establish financial security, live life to your fullest potential, pass forward your knowledge and skills to future generations, and contribute to the quality of life.

– $tock Mom

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