“Mr. Beaver, everyone has heard the saying ‘(the love of) money is the root of all evil.’ In our small business and at home, that statement is so true, as money is messing up our lives,” wrote “Bart” in his email. “My wife and I, as well as our three teenage sons, work in my father’s brake and muffler shops. Both my mom’s and dad’s families experienced the Great Depression of the 1930s. Dad is constantly worried about not having enough money and is frugal, bordering on miserly, despite being a millionaire.
“Mom — and my wife — are polar opposites of Dad with their overspending, showering the boys with things that make the ladies happy, while sending the wrong message to our sons. I do not want our kids to let money issues damage their lives, as I have seen it do to several of our friends, but no one listens to me when I point out how messed up we are. Is there some book that deals with these issues I can have everyone read?”
Bart’s question came in at the right time, as I had just finished reading a book that is so on point with his questions. Written by financial planner Elizabeth Husserl, The Power of Enough: Finding Joy in Your Relationship with Money is a valuable read, especially for families with kids in high school, college and just starting out in life.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The 'DNA of scarcity' makes money the scapegoat
When I explained Bart’s situation to Husserl, she said, “Your reader is describing his father’s financial DNA of scarcity — of money, food or shelter — experienced by people who have gone through war, famine, persecution and financial collapse.”
This scarcity becomes a scapegoat for two reasons, according to Husserl:
Behavioral problems. Extreme frugality, to the point of being perceived as miserly, is a result of one’s financial DNA, as a parent’s attitude toward money and wealth is often passed along to following generations even when the reason for that fear of scarcity no longer exists.
“This mindset results in a form of mental hoarding, where wealth is trapped through excessive frugality, preventing us from experiencing the freedom and joy it offers,” she said. “Instead, there is an obsession with compound interest, saving and investing, just to accumulate, to see it on our spreadsheets. As in Bart’s family, some rebel and become spenders.
Damaged relationships. It’s common for children of overly stingy parents to rebel by spending excessively, as if there’s no tomorrow. Feeling unnecessarily deprived in childhood, they make money the scapegoat and often “shower their children” with gifts to compensate. However, this can unintentionally deprive their kids of learning how to fulfill their needs in meaningful, non-monetary ways.
“You can easily wind up raising an entitled, spoiled child who is headed to failure as an adult with money, spending and responsibility issues,” Husserl notes.
Business owners often fail to enjoy the money they’ve earned
One message that resounds in The Power of Enough applies specifically to business owners and many professionals, especially to members of my occupation, and that is failing to translate business wealth into personal wealth. Three words sum it up nicely: More is less.
“One of the saddest things financial advisers so often see are business owners unable to translate business wealth to personal wealth,” Husserl observes. “They are elated as the business is growing, growing, growing, yet they don't take capital off the table to enjoy today by investing in time with their family.
“So they get stuck, unable to walk away from their job for an appropriate interval, always on, forgetting or feeling guilty if they do pause, recalibrate and redistribute. It comes at the expense of not only enjoying their money in the present moment, but enjoying their time, and ‘Oh my gosh. What happened? Eighteen years passed, my kid graduated, and now I'm ready to retire. But they're out of the house. Are they only going to remember me as a super workaholic parent?’”
After attending Loyola University School of Law, H. Dennis Beaver joined California's Kern County District Attorney's Office, where he established a Consumer Fraud section. He is in the general practice of law and writes a syndicated newspaper column. "I love law for the reason that I can help people resolve their problems," he says. "I know it sounds corny, but I just love to be able to use my education and experience to help — simply to help. When a reader contacts me, it is a gift."
If some of this sounds familiar — perhaps in your family, or with someone you know — go online and find the 1970s Harry Chapin song “Cat's in the Cradle.” Ask yourself, "Do these lyrics make you wonder if your time with family is slipping away?"
I know several lawyers whose inability or unwillingness to put family before all else cost them more than one divorce and messed up their kids. They felt cheated by life and law practice, especially in Big Law, where it is all about the law firm — birthdays, anniversaries and all the other events that occur over a year and bring family together are considered secondary.
The need to talk about money
Husserl says discussing money and attitudes toward money is critical to developing a healthy relationship to money in a marriage and family. “There are often signs early on if that person is honest where money is concerned. If they admit to maxing out credit cards and using one to pay the other, something’s wrong, and unless dealt with, if this continues into marriage, the foundation for a divorce has already been poured.”
The Power of Enough is a uniquely accessible road map to the enjoyment of money and what it can bring. Written by a seasoned financial adviser who has seen the results of how mismanaged money can lead to mismanaged lives, this is one highly valuable read.
Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield, Calif., and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@gmail.com. And be sure to visit dennisbeaver.com.
Related Content
- How Much Money Is Enough to Be Happy? Can You Have Too Much?
- Five Things to Teach Your Kids About Money and Happiness
- Three Positive Ways to Help Your Adult Children Financially
- Feel Free to Disagree, But Here's How to Bridge Differences
- Six Things Not to Do if You Want to Resolve a Conflict
-
Cord Cutting Could Help You Save Over $10,000 in 10 YearsHow cutting the cord can save you money and how those savings can grow over time.
-
The '8-Year Rule of Social Security' — A Retirement RuleThe '8-Year Rule of Social Security' holds that it's best to be like Ike — Eisenhower, that is. The five-star General knew a thing or two about good timing.
-
Cord Cutting Could Help You Save Over $10,000 in 10 Years
How cutting the cord can save you money and how those savings can grow over time.
-
Should I Buy Stocks or Should I Buy Bonds Right Now?Generally speaking, stocks provide reasonable growth while bonds provide stable income. Each play important roles in diversified portfolios.
-
You Were Planning to Retire This Year: Should You Go Ahead?If the economic climate is making you doubt whether you should retire this year, these three questions will help you make up your mind.
-
Are You Owed Money Thanks to the SSFA? You Might Need to Do Something to Get ItThe Social Security Fairness Act removed restrictions on benefits for people with government pensions. If you're one of them, don't leave money on the table. Here's how you can be proactive in claiming what you're due.
-
From Wills to Wishes: An Expert Guide to Your Estate Planning PlaybookConsider supplementing your traditional legal documents with this essential road map to guide your loved ones through the emotional and logistical details that will follow your loss.
-
Why Investing Abroad Could Pay OffCountries overseas are stimulating their economies, and their stocks are compelling bargains.
-
The Top Fourth of July Fireworks and Celebrations Across AmericaFrom Boston to San Diego, these iconic celebrations light up the sky — and the spirit of Independence Day.
-
Are These the Next Stocks to Split?Interactive Brokers' recently split its stock to makes its shares more accessible to investors. Could these high-priced stocks be next?
