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My parents have always shared all things financial with me and my brother. We always knew, and still know, how much money they had or didn’t have at any given time.
It seemed mundane then, but now I’m reaping the benefits of that education.
Financial Backstory
My dad was a pilot for many companies most notably National Airlines, Pan Am, and United. My mom was a flight attendant for National and Pan Am. She retired after eight years and became a stay-at-home mom when I was born.
You would think that my parents had more than enough money being that my dad had a pretty good job. But….his career was plagued with strikes, furloughs, and company bankruptcies. Seniority numbers ruled his career. Circumstances and sometimes fate would just strike a blow that he had no control over.
When I was eight, Pan Am went bankrupt. Boom! My dad didn’t have a job at 49 years old. Poof went his seniority and pensions. He was a diehard pilot and was scrambling for any kind of work he could get. For a few months, he constructed shelves in a warehouse. He got just 7$ an hour but he did it anyway.