Good morning Loves. Let me ask you a question, how did you spend last Sunday night? Do you want to know what I do each and every Sunday? I faithfully watch The Good Wife. I am obsessed with this show. In case you haven’t heard of it, The Good Wife is a drama series about lawyers and it has a political twist. Oh and the cast is star studded with Hollywood’s elite such as Christine Baranski, Juliana Marguilles, Chris Noth (Big from Sex and the City) and Matt Czuchry (Logan from Gilmore Girls). If you aren’t into this show I suggest you give it a look because the drama, inside and outside the courtroom, are addictive.
I love watching The Good Wife for the ever-twisting storyline as well as the character drama, however there are also money lessons to be learned from my several hours of watching the show. You know me, I can find an underlying money tone almost anywhere.
4 money lessons learned from The Good Wife:
Kids school expensive. Marguilles and Noth are an estranged married couple who have two kids together. Both kids are in high school and they will both soon be going off to college. Marguilles’ character went to Georgetown and she wants her kids to have the same opportunities; those opportunities start with a good education. She is quickly realizing that having two kids attend college within a couple of years of each other is going to bring a hefty bill.
Don’t count on anyone for financial security. Marguilles’ character was a stay at home mom for several years, but when her husband went to jail she had to re-enter the workforce. She was a less desirable candidate because of her age and lack of experience, so she ended up taking an entry level position at a prestigious law firm. She was thankful for any job because she needed income and a little bit of money was better than no money at all.
Always have a backup plan. When Marguilles’ husband went to jail she had to start over, with no help from her husband. She had to find a place to live, find a job and find a way to support her family while trying to keep the impact to her children at a minimal. After relying on her husband financially for so many years she was suddenly left to scramble to make a living when all his assets were seized upon incarceration. Within a matter of days Marguilles went from being a housewife to being the head of household. She had to start her life over because she didn’t have a backup plan.
Always work hard for your money. Nothing in life comes easy and The Good Wife is living proof of this. Marguilles and other lawyers spend long days at the office, 12 hours or more, and it definitely pays off financially. Annual bonuses, competitive salaries and the chance to become a partner at the law firm are all incentives for employees to work hard. This is just proof that if you want something you can work hard and achieve it.
Photo from Flickr
I love, love, love The Good Wife! I’ve just stumbled across your blog and this post caught my attention immediately. I’m childless and due to be married next year, and I’ve already told my partner that if we have children, I expect them to receive a private education. The fees, as it stands, are £18,000 per year for each child. That’s before they even reach university age! I shudder to think….
That’s great Emma. I think it’s amazing when parents plan ahead for their kids. Congrats on the upcoming wedding.
I love The Good Wife as well! I am a relatively new viewer, but just finished up to current episodes this week. Excellent show and it definitely teaches some money lessons. I think an additional lesson might be that money issues exist at every income/wealth level, with more money comes increased responsibility and stakes.
Cheers,
Miel
I love watching the show to see all the behind the scenes of what really goes on in law firms. Money is a big part of people’s lives and I like that we get to see that on the show.
It seems that the Good Wife story is very worth it to watch. “Don’t count on anyone for financial security” , this is a good lesson, we should not trust anyone but ourselves only especially when dealing financial matters.
Oh that is so true. I find that when we put our faith in others we just get disappointed. When it comes to money matters this is not OK, that’s why it’s best to rely on ourself for our financial happiness.