The ROI of Mom: A Lifetime of Love and Financial Wisdom

Every May, Mother’s Day rolls around with a predictable set of traditions: crowded brunch reservations, greeting cards that somehow cost $7, and an impressive nationwide run on carnations, roses, and tulips. Florists love Mother’s Day almost as much as moms love not having to cook breakfast for once.

Americans spend billions on Mother’s Day every year. Flowers alone account for a big chunk of that. The average person spends somewhere around $30–$50 on a bouquet, depending on how ambitious they get at the florist or how late they remembered to stop by the grocery store. Add in brunch, jewelry, spa certificates, and a card that required a small loan to purchase, and the total Mother’s Day spending across the country climbs into the tens of billions annually.

Not bad for a holiday built around saying “thanks, Mom.”

But here’s the interesting part. When surveys ask mothers what they actually want for Mother’s Day, the answers are surprisingly simple. Time with family tends to land at the top of the list. A phone call, a visit, or maybe a meal together that doesn’t require them to wash the dishes afterward. The flowers are nice, the chocolates are welcome, but what most moms really appreciate can’t be picked up at the checkout line.

Which brings us, believe it or not, to finances.

Mothers have historically been the quiet financial engines of families. They’re often the ones stretching a grocery budget, remembering which bill is due when, saving the extra $20 instead of spending it, and making sure the household keeps moving forward even when money feels tight. Long before budgeting apps existed, moms were running financial operations with nothing more than a checkbook and a sharp pencil. While their work rarely came with a title or paycheck, its financial impact was enormous.

Many of the financial habits people carry into adulthood—saving, avoiding debt, giving generously, living within their means—were learned at the kitchen table growing up, usually from Mom.

Mother’s Day can also be bittersweet for many people. For those whose mothers have passed away, the holiday carries a different kind of weight. The flowers may still be purchased, but sometimes they’re placed quietly beside a headstone instead of handed across a brunch table. The conversations become memories instead of phone calls.

Yet even then, the influence remains.

The values mothers pass down—how we treat people, how we handle responsibility, how we think about money—often last long after the flowers have wilted and the greeting cards have been tucked away.

So yes, buy the bouquet, and spring for brunch. Let the florist enjoy their busiest weekend of the year.

If you really want to honor Mom, consider the lessons she probably tried to teach somewhere along the way: save a little, plan ahead, take care of the people you love, and don’t waste money on things that don’t matter.

Although, to be fair, flowers for Mom probably count. After all, some investments pay dividends in smiles.

Michelle Kuehner, ChFC®, MCEP®, is the President of Personal Money Planning, LLC, a Wichita Falls retirement planning and investment management firm.