Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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Happy Mother’s Day

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By Anna Kosheleva @ Shutterstock.com

One of the more important gifts a mother can give to her children is educating them about money. Growing up, my mother was always talking to my sister and me about money. Just the other day she asked: “E.J. what’s going on with GNMA?”

As a sixth-grade teacher my mom made investing fun for her students. Every year she would hold an investing contest. The students would pick their stocks and then, through the course of the school year, excitedly comb through The Wall Street Journal for quotes, pumping their fists and letting out a “YES!” for the winners or pressing their ink-stained finger into the paper, pressing down on the quote whispering in disbelief “Really?” about a loss.

Today, when my mom and dad are out walking it’s not unusual for past students to come up to them and say “Mrs. Smith I’ll never forget the stock market game! You helped me understand investing!” And when they’re out of earshot my dad will ask “Who was that?” and my mom will say who it was and more often than not how she had their kids as students too.

As a gift to my children and my sister’s children, my mom bought each of them a few shares of Disney stock when they were born. Over their young lives, she’s taught them the powerful dual threat of dividend reinvestment and time without speaking a word. Of course, she loves talking about investing with them.

As a mother, allowing your children to see that you care about money is a most precious gift. It helps build confidence and removes insecurities. Someday they’ll be able to handle their finances with the thoughtfulness and care they deserve. And the fact that you’re reading this tells me you’re already well on your way.

Happy Mother’s Day.

P.S.: If you’re wondering about what’s going on with Vanguard GNMA, read this.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com