The Money Lessons Grief Teaches Us
The Money Lessons Grief Teaches Us
By Kara
I recently I lost my grandmother. It’s been a really hard time and it’s really sad. But today, I don’t want to talk about her. I actually want to talk about how my pursuit of financial independence and frugal living has impacted my ability to grieve.
We don’t make space for grief in the U.S.
There is no federal law that guarantees paid time off for bereavement, including funeral time. Right now it’s a sad time, nationally speaking. 1,117,054 Americans have died from COVID. And 72% of Americans either know someone who died from COVID or was hospitalized because of COVID.
Several of our peer nations, including France, Japan, and New Zealand all do have guaranteed paid time off for grieving. But here in the United States, only three states guarantee that same thing.
The Fair Labor Standards Act, the foundation of US labor policy, does not require employers to provide paid leave, including vacation time, to convalesce or time to plan or attend a funeral. In the United States, just three states have passed their own policies. Oregon requires employers to provide 12 unpaid weeks of leave, two of which can be used for bereavement after the death of a family member. Illinois offers two weeks of unpaid bereavement leave, but only after the death of a child.
Maryland recently extended its flexible leave act to require that employers who offer paid leave allow it to be used for bereavement. So even the states that do offer this don’t really offer it right. It’s under very specific circumstances that you are allowed to have mostly unpaid time off to feel sad after the loss of a family member or a loved one.
Since I work for myself, I took four days completely off work after my grandma passed. And that’s a luxury that most Americans do not have. It’s a luxury that I have only because of the fact that I do work for myself and the specific ways that I’ve structured my business.
Frugality has helped me have time to grieve
If you’re more of a visual learner or want to hear more, I talk about my upbringing and my road to FIRE in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=313sjuPK8NA
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