“My dad was a stockbroker and he did all the advising. Being a conservative and pessimistic investor, his common theme to money advice was ‘If an investment looks too good to be true, then it probably is.’” —Mike Crawford CPA, Chairman Emeritus; Crawford & Associates, PC; Oklahoma City, Okla. “Best financial advice from my mom:

By example, Mom taught us how to stretch a dollar: organizing hand me downs, sewing our clothes, shopping for discounts, home cooked meals. We were literally the kids that wore the plastic bread bags over our shoes when it rained or snowed to protect our only pair of shoes. Best financial advice from my dad: Don’t just manage a company or evaluate an investment from the P&L/earnings side – study the balance sheet as well.” —Angela M. Swift, CPA; Executive Vice President; Francis Oil & Gas, Inc.; Tulsa, Okla. “My mom told me when I got my first job to put 10 percent of my pay in a savings account. My dad told me to never get credit cards. I wish I had listened.” —Rachel Johnson CPA, CGMA; Tax Manager; Peters & Chandler PC; Oklahoma City, Okla. “My dad once told me to always live

close to your work or office. Not sure if it’s directly related, but I have always remembered that when it came to my job, which is how we live and pay bills.” —Cheryl Atherton, CPA, Consultant; Consulting Ideas and Solutions, LLC; Edmond, Okla. “One of my all-time favorite pieces of advice is: ‘Don’t get lost in the forest for all the trees that are around you.’ My students hear this from me all the time as I think it applies to almost every aspect of the decision process within accounting. We must always be diligent to not focus so much on the details that it makes us lose focus of the overall goal.” —Randall Stone, CPA, CTP; East Central University; Ada, Okla. “Waste not, want not.” — Susan

Nedrow CPA, President; Susan Nedrow, CPA, PC; Choctaw, Okla. “Money advice from mom: Keep a

    

stash of cash (like $20-$40) hidden in your wallet for small cash emergencies. Money advice from dad (and mom too): Always pay off entire balance charged to a credit card - never carry a credit card balance.” — Ken Willman, CPA; Lead Logistics Analyst; AT&T Services, Inc.; Oklahoma City, Okla.

“My mother always told me, save all

your loose change in a jar and never spend it—that way you will never be poor. So, I would save my change in a jar and once a month take it to the bank with my dad and put it in my savings account. I actually still do this; it is my vacation fund.” —Ann Cole, CPA, CGMA; Senior Audit Manager; Arledge & Associates, PC; Edmond, Okla.

“My parents never gave money advice,

and I didn’t know I’d need it. I learned in this profession the value of having a financial plan other than spend, spend, spend. I tell my boys, ‘If you want good things in life, you work for them—you work for good relationships, you work to help others, you work to save for the future. Yes, that super cool new car is awesome and you want it now, but how is that a mirror of your life if you have that awesome car and live in 100 square foot efficiency alone?” —Patti Harriman, CPA; Tax Manager; Stanfield & O’Dell, PC; Tulsa, Okla.

 May/June 2015 CPAFOCUS 7