The greatest gift a mother can have
To my daughters,
Earlier this month, we celebrated another Mother’s Day. Although I know that you have given up on asking me what I want for Mother’s Day because I always ask for world peace, I just want to say thank you for the priceless gift of motherhood. Being a mother has helped me become a better person, allowing me to have a “richer life” that everyone dreams of.
Before I had the two of you, my idea of a richer life was to have a high-paying job that earns millions, allowing me to live a luxurious lifestyle that most would envy. I would be lying if I said I no longer dream of earning millions. But the reason why I want to earn millions has changed.
I still work hard to achieve this dream. But I don’t care as much about owning expensive things to impress other people. Instead, my priority has been to earn enough so that I can retire comfortably and not be a burden to the both of you when I grow old.
And if I earn more, I would also like to give you something someday, so that you can have a headstart when you have your own family.
Because of motherhood, my plans on becoming rich have also changed. The idea of working for a big company that could pay a high salary was no longer appealing because I did not want to sacrifice my time with you and your dad.I learned to sacrifice by spending less and became more serious about investing in the stock market. Aside from helping me grow my funds, the decision to be more focused on investing made me a better analyst because factors that affected the stock market also affected me as an investor, teaching me valuable lessons that can only be learned from experience. After you were born, your father and I also began investing in properties. Every time we had extra funds, we bought properties that we would rent out to generate income. Our goal was to buy enough properties so that their rental income would be enough to replace what we earn from our jobs by the time we retire. Although your father and I have already reached our goal, we continue to buy properties because it has also become our passion. When you were still babies, I opened bank accounts for you that paid an interest rate higher than regular savings accounts.
After a few years, I closed those bank accounts and put all your money in the stock market because I realized that children should be buying stocks. Since you won’t need your money for a very long time, you can withstand the volatility that comes with investing in stocks, allowing you to take advantage of their superior long-term return.
This strategy has paid off very well, allowing your money to grow faster. Seeing personally how long-term investing worked made me more passionate about teaching people how to save and invest because I now have a stronger conviction that investing is necessary to become financially free. More importantly, the decision to invest your money in the stock market has helped me teach you the importance of saving and investing, which is a goal that every mother has for their children. I am happy to observe that whenever you receive money as gifts from your grandparents, aunties or uncles, you don’t think of how to spend the funds. Instead, you give me the money and tell me to invest it in the stock market. But the best part about being a mother is the priceless experiences that you and I share.
I will always treasure the times when you hang out in my room and keep me company when I do my errands.
I will also always treasure the dinners that you prepare for me every Mother’s Day because you know that I am not very good at cooking.And even though I don’t always say it, I am very happy every time you do well in school even though both of you are now studying on your own.
I am confident that both of you will do well later on because you have good values that will allow you to succeed in life. And knowing that I had a great influence on you is the best gift that a mother can have.
Thank you! Love,
Mommy INQ
