Mary S. McMahon

Do you, or have you ever known a person who always knew what they wanted to be in life since they were a child? A doctor, an actor, a professional athlete, a teacher, an astronaut… you know what I mean… ever since they were a kid. And they went on to be successful in their chosen field against amazing odds. They achieved it. They always knew they would.

In my life, I have 3 loves: Joe, my husband of 24 years & my daughter Lauren, finance, and shoes. Finance and shoes were 2 passions I was born with. Joe and Lauren came later.

Finance! When I was 4 years old I had a bank account. I loved the little blue book and would look at it everyday. I loved to see the money in it and watch it grow. It was so beautiful. Of course I had a serious purpose for the money… shoes!

When I was 8 years old, after playing in the pool, climbing trees and running around like a wild banshee, I settled in to watch my favorite financial shows on PBS. I was focused and made sure there were no interruptions from my 5 siblings: Kathy, Patti, Ann, Tim and Sara (the Wild Bunch). I loved watching those shows and listening to the financial conversation. I loved anything to do with money.

I have always thought about how the world works and what are the things that influence wealth: math, science, history, sociology, economics, politics, religion. Why do we think the way we think? Why do we have these mores ( môrāz: the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community ) and social norms? How do political systems impact us? How does this impact our personal economics? How the world works on a comprehensive basis is actually how your money works for you, or doesn’t work for you.

Growing up, my family was a product of the social mores and norms of the 1950s—not important for women to get a college education. A man’s job was to be the breadwinner and the woman was to have children and take care of the home. The 1950s and ‘60s were the gold standard of what being middle class was—it was a prosperous, aspirational time for the middle class. My father passed away unexpectedly February 2, 1972. I was just 10 years old.

Life changed. I learned a lot about changes: real life and money as well as societal expectations for women with no husbands, no college degree and no work experience. This was an era when women were not well-received in the workplace. I learned, very quickly, that the media was not a bastion of the truth of anything. What was portrayed in the media was mostly opposite of what was going on in our real life.

Because of this, I learned to play the game of life the way I wanted to play my life; not by what other people thought or what they said my life should look like. There was no Facebook, no likes, and no thumbs up.

My professional practice was created with a combination of my structured education, life wisdom, and my deep understanding that people want to live a great life that inspires them. What inspires me in my practice is my clients and what they are up to creating for their lives. I want them to have what they want. My practice is designed to help them achieve what matters most to them and money is a valuable resource to use, to do what matters most in life.