Achieving The American Dream With MassMutual #Sponsored #MC



I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for MassMutual. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

 



Before having children, I have to admit I didn't think about money very often and pretty much lived paycheck to paycheck. However, that has completely changed now that I have a family. According to MassMutual's State of the American Family Study, two-thirds of parents are constantly thinking about what would be best for their immediate family and I definitely fall into that category. Just as my own parents, my husband and I have goals set for our future and we want to make sure we succeed not only for ourselves, but for our children. Just like many others, we follow our own American dream and hope for a better future.

Our little family!

MassMutual is dedicated to helping families achieve their American Dream, an idea that is different for all families, but the basis behind this national ethos is to achieve financial stability through hard work. Both of my parents are from families that definitely worked hard in textile mills, but unfortunately made little money. They went without much as children and both wanted more in life. For this reason, they both left home in pursuit of the American Dream. My dad joined the Marines, traveled the world and, upon returning to the States, he found a job that would soon provide him the financial means to attend college. As a child I remember him coming home exhausted because he would work all day and go straight to class after work. He never gave up on his dreams, eventually received a Masters in Business. Through his hard work, he achieved his dreams and provided a better financially stable life for all of us.

Our inspiration

My parents taught me to set goals and never give up, which is why I so badly want to make an even better life for my own children. Through MassMutual's study, I found out that half of the households who participated intended on paying for their children to attend college. I can completely relate to this statistic because one of our top priorities is to do the same for the boys. My husband and I were fortunate enough to attend college, but we both worked jobs to pay for our expenses and will be paying off student loans for many, many years. We graduated school with thousands of dollars in debt and do not want that for our own children.

My husband dreamed of becoming a lawyer and opening his own law firm for many years, so finally being able to open his firm last year was just amazing. The business is doing well so far and, though it is just now taking off, we have hopes of a strong financial future. Since we are just starting out, budgeting is key to not only paying our bills, but saving for the future. I was not at all surprised to see in MassMutual's study that our generation (those born from 1980-1987), who are just starting out, state their top goal as identifying a monthly budget and buying a home. We just recently moved into a new house (a rental), but we eventually want to buy our own house with a nice yard the kids can enjoy. I think we will get to a point where we can do this as long as we stay focused and continue budgeting.

My husband hard at work at our new home!

I can only imagine what the future will bring, but I'm hoping for financial security, happiness and health! My husband and I met each other 8 years ago while working at the UGA library, making less than 15k a year and without plans for the future. So much has changed, for the better, during those 8 years and I believe with love, hard work and dedication, we will continue to succeed! Our children are great inspirations to us, too, because somehow just put everything in perspective. Many years from now they will fill our shoes and I want them to know they can fulfill their own American Dream just like us.

7 out of 10 people want to be more actively involved in their own financial decisions and, if you are one of those 7 people like us, you definitely need to check out MassMutual's Family Finances Study. Their website is a great informational resource and can help you can for the future.

I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for MassMutual. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.