By the time I was sixteen, we were selling furniture in order to have money for food. One day the sheriff knocked on the door, gave us a box of trash bags, and told us, “Today is the day. You folks need to be out by 4 pm.”
Mom was able to persuade the Maryknoll nuns to let her and her eight children stay in a little rundown cottage they owned. It was quite small, but we made do. At night, the unheated living room was the only quiet place to do schoolwork.
I was quite busy, working part time to pay for tuition, clothes, and transportation. Although proud of my hard work, I still felt angry and frustrated about money problems and a system that didn’t seem to care about people. But I was determined not to give up, and went to college on academic scholarship, as I saw this as the only way to get a fresh start.
Throughout my life, I have found that thinking things out works. I don’t feel helpless anymore. I have always believed “Knowledge is Power”, and today I believe that more than ever.
If you are angry, frustrated, and distrustful, I understand. If financial stress is tearing your family apart, I understand. If you find yourself consumed by financial worries, I understand.
Most of the problems in consumer finance are rooted in a lack of planning. We need to be better educated on our choices. We need to make the right choices to create a bright financial future for tomorrow. Let’s begin today!
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