top of page
Writer's pictureTiffany Kent

Music, Money, Discipline, and Desire


From the time my 2 older daughters were three years old, I made them practice and learn the violin.


As they got more advanced, the pieces got harder.

but we persevered:

- we constantly listened to the music pieces in the car, at home

- they had an amazing violin teacher, and

- the girls practiced almost every day.


By the time we had Henry four years after Kiki, we switched to the piano for Henry.


Getting Henry to practice was tough.

I rarely forced him.

I wasn’t as disciplined with Henry as I was with Kiki and Alexandra.


But when Henry wrote an essay for his private school application, he wrote (indirectly) about one of the most important financial concepts there is.


Delayed gratification.


No kid wants to practice, especially piano.

Henry would rather play video games with his friends.


But one night we were rewatching The Crown, a Netflix original drama by Peter Morgan, which chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II.


A classical music piece, Moonlight by Beethoven, was playing in the background during a heated negotiation between the coal miners union rep and the Government.


The song Moonlight resonated with Henry.


Henry wrote in his essay that he didn’t enjoy the piano because he was learning “baby songs” or the basics.

But Moonlight's simplicity and eloquence motivated him to practice.


He wrote it was the most difficult song he has ever learned but the most rewarding and it all paid off in the end.


Practicing Moonlight was hard work, but it helped him prioritize a long-term goal of learning the piece over short-term desires like playing video games.


The ability to delay gratification is essential to financial lives.


Choosing to save money for retirement instead of spending it on immediate pleasures like shopping or dining out involves the ability to resist the temptation of immediate rewards in order to achieve long-term financial goals.


We must have the desire to be disciplined when it comes to investing and saving for our future financial lives.


The more we practice discipline the better our moonlights will be.


(photo on left is Henry practicing,

photo on right is kiki with her two friends forming a future girl band, I hope)


Thanks for reading! Happy Good Friday!


Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,


Tiffany Kent, Tiffany@wealthengagement.com


Empowering women to take control of their future!


Disclosures: Past performance is not indicative of future results. This material is not financial advice or an offer to sell any product. The information contained herein should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed.


This commentary offers generalized research, not personalized investment advice. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a complete description of our investment services or performance. Nothing in this commentary should be interpreted to state or imply that past results are an indication of future investment returns. All investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to consult with an investment & tax professional before implementing any investment strategy. Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

120 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentários


bottom of page