My dad passed away long ago, but he used to say again and again, no matter what the situation, “Money talks.”
He would blurt it out in movie theaters, restaurants, walks on the beach, the way a parrot just sort of yells out a phrase over and over, “Money talks.”
All my life, I thought I understood what he meant, but now I find myself reading all things finance-related and wanting to scream, “Dad, money talks, but what language is it speaking?”
As the economy has seismically shifted, my attention is on my money. It’s not enough to be an earner. We all need to know how to save, invest and protect it.
Becoming financially literate is no easy task. Just when I think I’m beginning to understand enough to make some simple stock choices, I read in the Wall Street Journal that one of my stocks is being “reweighted.”
My computer highlights the word because apparently I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what this means. I spend an hour trying to find a translation for the Wall Street Journal article, what does reweighting mean and will I lose money?
All I can understand is the tone. Words like “warning” and “giving a fair notice a month in advance to investors” are of no comfort to me. I get the sense that I may have a problem, but I’m not sure exactly how much of a problem.
I am not literate enough to know that I could invest in a stock, and it is at-risk of being reweighted causing some adverse effect. I didn’t even know this was a “rule” of the game. It reminds me of playing games on the street at 6 years old and someone just yells, “Time out, new rule,” and it will come out of my retirement investment.
Wow, that feels crazy. I understand it is an “old rule” now, but it speaks to just how much I really don’t know about the financial games being played.
Planning for retirement is more complicated than say, raising a child, planning a career, paying off a mortgage, or all three combined. There is just nothing more complicated if you are not rich.
I have 15 years before I arrive at retirement and only one looming thought: Can I be financially literate enough to steer myself to the shore? Can I navigate through economic “reversals,” reweighting of stocks and my own financial illiteracy to keep my husband and I financially afloat?
I am considering my problem to be largely one of financial literacy. I am reading as much as I can to learn more.
I just finished Suze Orman’s book, “The Money Class.” The book helped by pointing out exactly what to pay attention to and how to create a map for yourself. I read financial articles in newspapers to learn all the other things I know so little about. Sometimes I read whole paragraphs that make no sense whatsoever and I find myself spending an hour looking for translation.
My point is not that I think I’m an idiot. My concern is that financial information isn’t being presented in a way that is transparent. Even if you are an eager learner like myself, you will find yourself struggling to understand what is happening in real time.
It is hard to sort through the spin, the distortions, the facades. I may not fully understand what is happening, but I can tell when something is being designed to deceive.
Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island and director of Leadership Snohomish County. Her column on living with meaning and purpose runs every other Tuesday in The Herald. You can email her at features@heraldnet.com.
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