'Tis The Season And All

That Money Stuff

By Evelyn (Evie) Preston, Money Lady

English slang lets us deal in cold cash, enjoy ready cash or sadly, cash in our chips. And when we no longer bring home the bacon, let’s hope there’s enough dough so we won’t need to put our credit cards on ice as we age!

During Covid some people were flush with money while others went broke. We’ve all learned that a

C note’s not what it used to be.

And what about the absurd status we give to those with money! Could the main reason we heed the opinions from Hollywood rest on those huge salaries?

We tend to honor the rich because it’s a fact—money equals power in our society.

While true talent in many fields is rightfully well-paid, the example that tossing a ball pays tons better than teaching or care giving prove these fairly lop-sided values. Many believe it’s a hangover from low paying “women’s work” that has yet to fully catch up. Slowly, things change.

Years ago, a psychologist and I held “Money Smarts for Women” workshops. Truly back to basics, we opened with a skit about two ladies who lunched and shopped, spent and never saved.

My partner highlighted the influence of family, society and “the times.” We also explored factors that defined the economic and psychological status of each attendee largely due to the lessons they learned from home.

There was the Depression Baby of older parents who grew up hoarding every dime; the Scarlett O’Hara’s who would “think about it tomorrow” never planning ahead; the Mall Maniac of our skit and the Money Monk who wouldn’t even try to learn “all that money stuff.”  

I squashed our audience’s fears with simple exercises and charts about the magic of compounding, easy investing through mutual funds and the time value of money.

We did some Yoga meditation to let it all sink in and ended the day with the starting skit…revamped to show the same two women after they’d attended our workshop and were now crowing about their changed habits and rapidly growing savings.

Women and men receive conflicting messages all along the road to solvency and savings—financial adulthood.

“We don’t deserve money; it’s math, too hard to understand; money is somehow dirty or shameful,” or for too many, “money’s the most important thing in life.”

Men, ‘though willing to learn and less risk-averse, often hide money insecurities or blame others from brokers to bosses.

Conversely, I’ve found that after facing their fears, women make excellent savers and investors. They’re practical, stay the course, and can be fierce budgeters.



It’s revealing to recap the intricate role money plays in our lives. It’s also instructive to retrace our money journeys and realize how far most of us have come from spending our first allowance to savoring our personal wealth.

 Resolve to revisit your money mindset along with year-end investments. Then decide to change or stay the course that will see you through to many Happy New Years ahead.

Evelyn (Evie) Preston is a financial columnist for ActiveOver50 and worked as a financial advisor for over 25 years. Reach her at Evierp100@yahoo.com.

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