A foreclosure does not define you financially.

My first piece of career advice is find your gifting. Find the thing that you are skilled at and figure out if you can make a living doing it.

I'm keenly aware of how important it is to set a good example. You may not think that your kids are paying attention to you, especially with something like money, but they probably are.

So many people joke that life with me - a professed lifelong penny pincher - must be tough. But [my husband] is a great money manager. And he helps me let go of my fear of spending while still being frugal.

My grandmother was extremely smart when it came to money, but she also worried a lot about not having enough. So it's with her in mind that I aim to explain complicated financial things so the folks like her won't be afraid to make certain money moves.

I'm not a fan of debt consolidation. In my experience, many people "clear" credit cards and other debt to get the one payment and never change what they need to change to prevent getting into debt again.

I knew I had found my life's passion after writing my first column for The Washington Post. The response was like nothing we had seen in the business section. Everyday people were writing that finally someone was speaking to them in a way that was understandable. I think we were all shocked at how many readers wrote in to say that they too had a Big Mama who taught them about money.