I was a curious 6 year-old when my Grandfather said those words to me.

At the time, I asked my Grandfather what it meant, but he just smiled.

But his words stuck with me and a few years later when I heard him say those exact same words to another 6 year-old, I had a better idea of what he meant.

He probably meant “do not take anything at face value.”

Today when I look it up, it means “be cautious in one’s dealings.”

That sums up my view of life and of finances.

When I see a curious 6 year-old in the future.  I know not to say, “Be cautious”.  That would be boring.  But saying “Don’t take any wooden nickels.” makes one think.

I owe a lot to my Grandfather for making me think about nickels and finances.

For more information on the history of wooden nickels, see

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_nickel