What is the story you tell yourself about money? Does it make you feel strong or vulnerable?
June 6th, 2019, I hosted an honest conversation about the subject. Our featured guest was Sunaina Mehra of Francis Financial, a female led financial advisory who regularly hosts a concept called “money circles.”
Eight women sit in a circle, and answer a series of questions.
The dynamics of the circle would change. Sometimes, we just answered to a woman sitting to our left. Sometimes, we journaled and wrote for 2 minutes. Sometimes we articulated our answers to the group.
The most powerful thing was that we, as women, were engaging in conversations about money in a way we never had before. It was a safe space too, where there was no judgement.
Questions she asked:
Do you remember your first memory of money?
Mine was a red toy gum ball machine that I had as a kid. It dispensed large brightly colored gum balls in turquoise, fuchsia and white. I would dispense them to the two little girls who lived on either side of my house. 6pm was the magical hour when we would play together. 6pm, because my Indian mother and her vanity would be bellowing from the second floor that ‘I would get dark’ if I ventured out a minute sooner. In order to unlock the “wonderful,” I had to find coins to insert in the coin slot, turn the crank, and bloop the gum ball would shoot out. I had just returned from a 3 month stint in India, so I lost all my English. But I could still dispense gum balls with aplomb.
Growing up the topic of money was (fill in the blank with an adjective)
When I make a major money decision, I typically speak to (fill in the blank)
When did you relationship to money change?
I tell this story often. My money story changed when I went to college. My parents had enrolled me in an expensive school, but failed to save for it. I certainly wasn’t going home, so I started working three little jobs on campus to pay for books. I furiously wrote letters asking for scholarship help to pay my tuition. I had the CFO of Bucknell draft a loan agreement stating I would pay the overage upon graduating. Until then, I was like a passenger in a cab when it came to my money story. That day, I took ownership and stewardship of my future–and my money. Join us on June 6th for this members only cocktail, where conversation will take center stage. And we will share our own money stories
