How I Gained Lasting Financial Lessons from Sixteen Sows

In the essay, “Sixteen Sows,” I reflect on a summer spent taking care of 16 sows on my grandfather’s farm where I learned lasting lessons about financial independence and the value of hard work that shaped my approach to money and success.

Throughout my 40 years with Principal Financial Group®, I took the valuable lessons learned from my grandfather — who nurtured my understanding of making money while you sleep, and that education is the best investment you can make — and turned them into a successful career.

Read an excerpt from the essay, “Sixteen Sows,” below:

Sixteen Sows

Three months, three weeks, and three days. That's the gestational period for the average sow. Three months. That's the amount of time it takes to raise a pig to 40 pounds so it's ready for market. Coincidentally, it's also the length of summer break.

The summer of 1976 I arrived at my grandfather's farm in rural Iowa fresh off a Greyhound bus. Looking forward to a summer away from Houston, I breathed in the familiar scents of diesel fuel, fresh-cut alfalfa, and my grandmother's cinnamon rolls. My home away from home.

Every day on the farm unfolds with a rhythm both familiar and unexpected—rise with the sun, feed the animals, tend the crops, bale the hay, mend the fencing. Every day hums a familiar tune, yet presents fresh challenges, as if the farm itself has its own agenda, always testing the hands that nurture it.

"Welcome back, Dan," my grandfather said, throwing my travel duffel into the truck as we headed from the country road up to the house. At 76 years old, he was as strong as ever, but a lifetime of farming was starting to take its toll. His hair was transitioning from gray to white. The creases on his face, tanned by years in the sun, were getting deeper. His hands were calloused and arthritic from years of use.

Though he might call himself "retired," a farmer never really leaves his land. Like a marriage, it's a bond that endures a lifetime — a partnership shaped by soil and seasons. Together, my grandfather and the farm have weathered the dust bowls of the Great Depression, endured years of disappointing harvests, and sometimes faced winters when the food stores grew thin. The land held his story, a testament to his resilience.

We walked up to the large farmhouse, which had been recently renovated. It stood looking out over acres of land and a small town, a tribute to a lifetime of hard work. The house was one of the few things my grandfather spent his hard-earned money maintaining. The rest of the money went back into the land or investing in stocks and items to ensure the longevity of the farm, his most precious asset.

"I have a surprise for you," he said as we made a detour to the livestock barns. He led me to the farrowing house where the pigs were housed. There were at least a dozen very pregnant sows lying in the straw.

"See there. Sixteen sows. They are your responsibility this summer," he said. "I am not going to pay you a dime in wages, but I am going to let you borrow these sows. They will start littering over the next few days and your job will be to get the pigs ready for market by the end of the summer."

Read the rest of Sixteen Sows at short-edition.com.

Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative

In Iowa, the agriculture industry is a major driver of the state’s economy, with the state ranking number one in the production of hogs, corn and eggs, and 19% of residents employed by ag and ag-related industries. And so, it’s no surprise that the ag industry offers opportunities for learning to have conversations about money.

“Sixteen Sows,” my short story, is part of Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative from Principal® Foundation, a program that uses storytelling to help destigmatize and encourage conversations about money and personal finances. The program, launched in 2023, includes an annual contest hosted in partnership with The Center for Fiction and Short Edition that celebrates creative stories selected by a panel of authors and experts in the literary field. In its second year, Genevieve Abravanel of Lancaster, Penn. won for the work “These Dark Woods.”

“Sixteen Sows,” like that of Genevieve’s and other Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative authors, reflects our lived experiences with money, and the essay’s setting on an Iowa farm is one that many in the state can relate to. It also reinforces the findings from a 2023 study conducted by Principal Foundation — which found that frequent family discussions about money create more positive financial associations.

Read all the short stories from the 2nd edition of the contest here.

Click here to learn more about Principal Financial Group® and click here to learn more about the Principal® Foundation.

Job opportunities and career resources are abundant in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Whether you're looking to find an internship, a job, develop professionally or grow as a student, we have the resources to help you thrive.