The true cost of financial dependence

I grew up in a family where my father
managed all of the money,

but for some reason,
when I was eight or nine years old,

he started showing me things about money.

We would sit at the kitchen table
and he'd show me all the bank books.

Now, that was back in the day
before the internet

when we used to have little books
that we used to keep our information in.

And he would show me
how he saved in these accounts,

and he'd pay bills out of these.

And every time he would show me
something about money,

he would end by saying,
"And don't you tell your mother."

(Laughter)

Now, to this day, I really
don't know why he said that,

but what I do know is
to that eight-year old girl

sitting at the kitchen table,
it meant, "Don't say a word."

Years later, when I got
my first job, my father said,

"You'll bring me your check
and I'll put it in the bank for you."

But because of what he taught me
years before, I said,

"I'd like my bank book."

And to my surprise, he gave it to me.

Right then, at 16 years old,

I began managing my own money.

I went on to college and then
to start my new career as a CPA,

but now, with students loans,
getting an apartment and a new job,

I began the rollercoaster ride
of accumulating debt, paying it off,

and accumulating more.

Many years later, after getting married,
I went through an unexpected divorce,

and I was left with
a house I couldn't afford

and bills I couldn't pay.

You might be wondering,

"How does that happen to someone

that's educated and skilled
at managing people's money?"

I had reverted back
to what I learned growing up:

that one person managed all the money,.