Letters to My Daughter – Part 4: Money

By Neysa Ellery Taylor

Dear Asyen and Maya,

You both know that this is an arena where Dad and I struggle.  So this is going to be really short….

1.  Follow this formula:
10% Tithe
20% save
25% living expenses (rent)
45% the rest of life goes here

2.  Don’t charge stuff.  Instead save up for it and then pay cash.  The stress isn’t worth the instant gratification you get when you charge something.

3.  Money isn’t everything but money does make some things much easier.

3.  Honestly, don’t have a big wedding.  Have a small wedding and a great honeymoon.  Save the rest of the money.  Buy a duplex.  Live in 1 half and rent out the other.  In 3-5 years take the money you saved and buy a single family home.  Keep the duplex as rental property.  Ta-da! You just built generational wealth.  Then for you 10 year anniversary have the wedding of your dreams.  Trust me on this one!

4.  Never be afraid to take a step back in order to take a leap forward.

5. Finally, if you have questions beyond this ask Auntie Keri.  Believe me.  She has the answers!

Love you so much that I want you to do better than me on this one,
~Mama

Neysa Ellery Taylor is an integral part of the writing team here at Blackloveandmarriage.com. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, Chris, and their 4 children – Asyen, Maya, Preston, and Patrick. An Emmy-Award winning journalist, she hopes to share her passion for marriage and God through her writing. You can read more of her work atMyriadthatisme.blogspot.com