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What is the earliest memory you have when it comes to learning about money?
I have a picture of me and my brother running a lemonade stand on my front lawn around 1st grade. I remember getting my first bank account at Bank of Montreal when I was 12 or 13. I also learned how to write a cheque in some class in high school.
But that was the extent of financial literacy training back when I was in high school.
Those are my earliest memories when it comes to finances. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t a lot.
Student life
Moving away from home to another city for university and taking on student loans really was a big learning experience.
I worked two jobs all through university to help cover my expenses on top of my student loans. Ok…so maybe I went to Cuba on reading week with my student loan money once… but other than that I was pretty diligent.
In my 3rd year of university I studied abroad, and really had to rely on a friend to help me with the loan processing from back home, while i tried to get whatever part time work I could in a country where I barely spoke the language. It was really an eye opener.
After graduation I worked hard to pay off my loans as soon as I could. I just didn’t like the feeling of being in debt. Looking back now, of course I wish I had started investing earlier instead of being so gazelle focused on paying of my student loans as early as possible.
I also would have advocated better for myself in terms of sharing expenses better in my post graduation relationship, as I supported my partner by paying most of the housing costs while he went to school. Even though I was paying off my loans at the same time, and he was paying for school in cash and had substantial savings. But C’est la vie.
I’ve learned a lot since then, thanks for joining me on this ride!
What life experiences shaped your view on your finances? Share your earliest memory of learning about money below!
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Wow, 12/13 is definitely a young age to have a bank account, I have only actually managed to get myself one recently, but already I don’t know how I can now survive without one. I suppose I started to think about money management when I was about 14, when I begun paid work.