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I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for MassMutual. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.
People wouldn’t realize by looking at us, reading my blog or even hearing us speak that we are immigrants. In 1999 we left everything we knew and moved to the United States, really in search of the American Dream – a place where hopefully we could offer our daughter more because of an economic change in my husband’s job. It was a different journey than what my parents took, both having immigrated from Germany to Canada, but regardless, in its own way it was a scary endeavor. What if it didn’t work out the way we thought it would?
MassMutual’s State of the American Family Study reveals four core values that American families have when it comes to their finances:
1. Putting family first;
2. Being actively involved in household financial decisions;
3. Educating children about money;
4. Making sure that children aren’t burdened by parents’ care as they age.
Now we’ve lived in the U.S. nearly 15 years, and I can honestly say that there is no other place I’d rather be.
We’ve become citizens, my husband has excelled in his career and our daughter has the opportunity to attend university with a full scholarship this coming fall.
The study mentioned that confidence in the American Dream may be declining but Americans’ financial satisfaction is on the rise, so there is no reason to let dreams of the future die, whether they are to own a home or send a child to college.
MassMutual’s survey also found that views vary between demographic groups. African Americans and Chinese Americans maintain a particularly strong belief in the American Dream. Only 17 percent of Chinese-American respondents and 28 percent of African Americans believe the American Dream is disappearing, while 42 percent of Caucasians believe the American Dream is fading. As I look back to the dreams we had when our daughter was just 3 years old and we were crossing the border to make a life here, I realize that the dreams we had are all now coming to fruition, and it saddens me a bit that there are those out there that think the American Dream isn’t what it used to be for previous generations or for immigrants.
Our daughter’s American Dream is going to be slightly different than our own was. Her future is yet partially unmapped and we hope over the years that she’s learned a thing or two from us when it comes to good use of finances and the importance of not just saving but giving back as well. Since her children will be the first generation of ‘born’ Americans in our family, we hope our legacy of hard work and pursuing dreams will be an inspiration to them.
But a game plan definitely helps when pursuing the American Dream, we all know money doesn’t really grow on trees. We’ve had some help along the way to achieve ours, and it’s a smart thing to find others that can help you do that; MassMutual has the experience and knowledge and can help families become educated and succeed in reaching those goals they have set out for themselves.
If you’re interested in learning more, visit the MassMutual website and check out the MassMutual Family Finances study. There is plenty of information there to help you understand your financial situation and press on toward reaching the goal of your American Dream and pass that heritage on to your children as well.
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