She’s the host of “The Daily Briefing” with Dana Perino, a co-host of “The Five” and mom of Jasper – Dana Perino – is an inspiration to many Americans because of her hard work and smarts. And, yet, as a former White House press secretary – she famously worked for George W. Bush – she’s not someone you think of as being interested in money. That’s all wrong. Dana has thought a lot about money and faced her own financial anxieties.
Here are the takeaways:
- One of Dana’s earliest money memories is associated with her mom, a frugal woman, who bought a large “D” applique to sew on young Dana’s pants pocket so the grade-schooler could have a pair of “designer jeans.” Her parents both schooled Dana in keeping her spending under control. And, she saw women in her own family wrestle with financial issues. When her grandfather died, leaving behind her grandmother to cope alone, she didn’t even know how to write a check.
- By the time Dana was a young adult, her anxiety was such that she would stay three car payments ahead – just in case. That attitude would cause friction with her husband, Peter, who would time payments for the last possible minute before the deadline.
- The early years in Dana’s marriage weren’t easy financially. They moved to the West Coast with nothing but a dog. She remembers consulting her husband about whether they could afford a dinner out.
- These days, Dana allows her husband to handle money matters, turning over the checkbook to Peter. That, she says, allows her to focus on her job and hectic schedule. It’s an arrangement that seems to work well for both of them. But even today, Dana still talks about her concern about financial anxiety – especially among recent college grads and young families.
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Bottom line, I want to hear from you! What money issues do you want to explore? Tell me and we will get it on the podcast. Have a great day and remember, Rich is NOT a Four-Letter Word!
