As my mom turns 90, I’ve been reflecting on the lessons she taught me. These are lessons that shaped how I look at information, how I make decisions, and how I help clients sort through noise in their own financial lives.
Here are four simple ideas she repeated often, and how they continue to guide me today.
Ask “What’s their angle?”
My mom said this long before social media existed. Whenever someone was making a bold claim, the next great stock, the next disaster, the next urgent prediction, she’d remind me to look at their incentives.
- Are they trying to move a price?
- Are they short a company?
- Are they trying to keep you clicking?
It’s a simple filter that still keeps me grounded today.
Keep perspective when the world feels chaotic.
In 2008–2009, early in my career, many of my colleagues were overwhelmed. I watched advisors burn out, panic, and leave the business entirely. I felt the pressure too, but I also had my mom right there beside me.
Her presence and her ability to separate noise from real information helped me stay steady when markets and emotions were spinning. That mindset still guides the way I show up for clients today.
Don’t get greedy.
My mom believed in setting expectations before emotion had a chance to interfere. When you buy something, decide up front what valuation you think is appropriate and when you’ll step back and reevaluate.
It’s the “push the elevator button before the ride starts” idea. Without it, you can end up riding the market up and down without ever deciding where to get off.
That discipline still shapes how I think about managing gains, reassessing new information, and avoiding overattachment to any one investment.
Think for yourself.
On Black Monday, while everyone else was panicking and selling, she was calmly walking to buy tickets to the trading cage because the price had fallen below her pre-determined buy limit. Her branch manager publicly told her she was wrong. But then the market bounced back, and her approach turned out to be right.
Whether it’s meme stocks, prediction markets, or the next big frenzy, this is a mindset I still rely on: Do the work. Know why you own something. Think independently.
These lessons aren’t complicated. That’s the point.
They are practical ways to be Smart About Money™ and stay grounded when the world is loud, and everyone claims to have the answer. And as my mom turns 90, I’m grateful I still get to carry these with me.