When I was 16, I became a summer lifeguard and swimming instructor at our town pool. I was driving the carpool to school and needed gas money.
Were you worried about money growing up?
No. Both of my parents worked and had fairly lucrative jobs, although when I was about 12, my mother left the corporate world and went back into teaching, which is not as lucrative. We were solidly middle class. When they split up, there were a lot of questions about how they would split things up and what that would mean for the household and for me, but it was never a concern about having enough.
Are you worried about money now?
About? It’s hard not to, I live in SF with the high cost of living, but I’m very lucky to have a good, steady job and a range of skills that would hopefully mean that if something were to happen, I wouldn’t be in my savings for too long a long time. I worry about money more abstractly than concretely. In my mind, my non-liquid savings basically don’t exist as something that can be spent.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and have a financial safety net?
Around the age of 23, when I graduated from my master’s degree. I was living with my father at the time, which became untenable for a number of reasons, including my four-hour commute to work. Although I have no financial support from either of my parents, I know that if something drastic were to happen, I could live with one of them until I got back on my feet. I also have several friends in the area, and while their support probably wouldn’t be financial, it would go a long way in helping me save money.
Do you have or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If so, please explain.
My mother gave me $3,000 for a down payment on my car, which I still drive 13 years later. Both of my parents (specifically my father) were talking about spending what they had in their later years, so I have no expectation that money or wealth will come to me.
