The Currency of Care: What Mom Taught Me About Money

For many of us, financial literacy begins at home. Parents—even when they aren’t actively imparting financial lessons—are modeling spending and saving behaviors that influence how children think and feel about money.

In case you missed it, GreenPath’s own Wendy Medrano recently appeared as a guest on Real $tories Episode 49Real $tories Episode 49 and chatted with host Chris Dlugozima about this topic, sharing the spotlight with her mother (Reina) and younger sister (Emily).

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I continued the conversation with Wendy. Check out the Q & A below and tune into the podcast for an inspiring conversation across three generations of women.

Tara: Tell us about your mom, Reina—specifically her financial story. What parts of her story resonate most with you?

Wendy: My mom’s unwavering attitude of gratefulness has been an inspiration. Through her stories of overcoming difficult situations, I learned the power of maintaining hope during dark times. As a first-generation child of immigrants, every new experience felt like stepping into the unknown for all of us.

My mom explained that the education system in El Salvador was a personal expense, not funded by public tax dollars. This led her family to end her schooling in 4th grade because they could no longer afford it. Despite this, she figured out how to keep learning, and she is hands down one of the most intelligent people I know. She often asked me about school, supported me when she could, and inspired me when I needed a little push to get through college. When college graduation day rolled around, she couldn’t stop smiling. She knew having my degree would open doors for me, and it’s true.

While my mom may not have had all the answers, her unwavering support and encouragement served as my constant inspiration. She was always there, cheering me on and offering a shoulder to lean on. Her resilience and love have shaped me into the person I am today.

Tara: How have your family’s past financial challenges influenced your current approach to money management?

Wendy: For most of my youth, financial matters were private. I understand it’s important to allow kids to be kids, and not worry about adult issues. But not knowing what was causing stress for my family and not being able to understand the magnitude of what we were facing made situations more stressful. The 2008 housing crisis revealed how vulnerable my family was despite our progress. My parents went through a foreclosure, and I remember it was such a stressful time. I didn’t really understand what foreclosure meant.

I vividly remember documents on the dining table, my dad struggling to find work, and my mom worried about how she was going to pay for everything.  Reflecting now, there wasn’t anything I could’ve done to improve the situation, but I wish I was more supportive and understanding.

Those experiences and others have impacted my approach now and my family too. I am more open, eager to get advice, comfortable with sharing my struggles, and hopeful that I’m on my way to reaching goals, some of which my mom hasn’t dealt with, like paying off student loan debt.