Cristián
Director of Marketing and Retention for Mango Money. Editor in Chief for Social Media Initiatives.
My money experience starts when I opened my first cookie business with my two brothers in Mexico at age nine. Since then I have always loved creating fun ways to solve problems in business. Besides working for Rêv North America (Mango) I own a marketing research business and a music production business. I bought my first car at age sixteen and I bought my first home in Florida when I turned twenty-eight.
My most embarrassing money moment was when I had to stop an incredibly exciting business opportunity along with a year worth of work because I partnered with the wrong individual. My lesson was that when it comes to money, a business partner is no different than a wife. If things don’t click on the personal level they translate to every area of the business. My proudest money moment was taking a leap of faith when I was twenty four. Getting married and moving to Florida with no job, only $1,000 in savings and no business contacts. I learned how to make something out of nothing, how to budget, how to rely on myself and my wife and how to enjoy the simplest things in life. I understood that the things that truly matter have nothing to do with money.
What I like best about my Mango Card is the ability to send money to others with my mobile phone. This feature is convenient and saves me so much time and money when I pay or get paid by others who have a Mango Card.
Some of my money goals for this year include taking a long vacation with my family at the end of the year, adding a bunch of really cool equipment to my recording studio, and buying a car. Some of the things that I would like to learn include strategies for long-term investing (I am quite impatient when it comes to investing) and learn more on tax related issues that can save me money at the end of the year.
I am happily married with two children. I have two cars, two crazy dogs, I own my home, and live in the great city of Austin.
Andrew
Social Media Coordinator and Blogger for Mango Money.
I like to consider myself an average guy, just trying to find my way through life. I love engaging in the creative process, and can happily spend hours on end designing things. These interests led me to study Architecture in college. Unfortunately for me, my love of design never really translated into a love of finance. So like most people, when it came to money I‘ve always been left to figure things out for myself. Needless to say, I’ve gotten myself into a few pickles here and there, but fortunately enough for me, the Internet and a bit of common sense have always managed to keep me on top of things. My hope is that the Grove will do the same for you.
Natalie
Copywriter and Blogger for Mango Money.
My first experience with money came in the form of a little fairy that crept into my room at night and left small amounts of it under my pillow.
I’m not crazy. I’m talking about the tooth fairy.
From my first felled baby tooth to my last, I was rewarded by this mysterious fairy with one silver dollar. As I got older, I came to realize that, not only were my parents the ones behind this, but that these heavy silver coins were actually worth something—more than a few crumpled up bills, in fact. So this was not only my first experience with money, but with appreciation of value as well. I still have all twenty of these silver dollars and hope that they continue to gain in value.
It may be hard to believe, but I did not go straight from the wide-eyed, innocent youth as seen above, to the competent, independent adult that I am today… or hope to become soon, at any rate. Like everyone else, I went through an awkward little phase called “adolescence,” in which many embarrassing things happened—one of which was my most embarrassing moment with money. One day during eighth grade, my dad sent me to school with a blank check for a book fair. So I, being an unruly thirteen-year-old, made the check out, not to Scholastic, but to myself. I cashed the seemingly enormous amount of money as soon as I could, and carried the fifty dollars around feeling sneaky and guilty. Until I was caught, of course. I had no idea that my dad could access the check’s information. I thought it was gone, all evidence destroyed. Needless to say, I gave him the fifty dollars back, was grounded for several weeks, and learned a financial lesson that will stick with me for years to come: Always keep tabs on your accounts—especially if you have a teenager.
It took a long time for me to get to a point where I was not only making, but saving my own money. My proudest money moment was the first time I was able to pay for my own vacation: a late college trip to the Bahamas. Of course, the hotel was cheap, the flight was a steal, and we dined at only the finest fast food restaurants; but the fact that I paid for it on my own, made everything that much better.
My long-term financial goals include writing an international best-seller and making enough money to buy a home and support myself, my family, and my dog, Koa, for generations to come. For now, though, my goals are much simpler: I’d like to continue putting money away, do some more travelling, and maybe start by self-publishing that future best-seller. And if self-publishing is more expensive than I expect, hey, I’ve always got those silver dollars…
