What Does Labor Day Really Mean? A Financial Therapist’s Reflection

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For many of us, Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer. We gather for barbecues, squeeze in a last trip to the lake, or prepare kids to head back to school. It’s a cultural marker of transition. But if we stop there, we miss something deeper.

Labor Day was born out of the labor movement in the late 19th century, at a time when workers were fighting for safer conditions, reasonable hours, and fair wages. It is a holiday meant to honor the dignity of labor—the everyday workers whose efforts keep our world moving.

And that meaning matters now, as much as ever.

The Personal Side of Labor

I am the son of a union electrician. Growing up, I didn’t think much about what it meant that my dad worked with his hands, his time, and his body. I just knew he worked hard and came home tired. As a child, I had no real sense of what it meant to be a “blue-collar kid.”

Now, decades later, with multiple graduate degrees and sitting in a position of manager, leader, and financial therapist, I find myself reflecting on that identity often. I haven’t lost it. In fact, sometimes it surfaces in unexpected ways.

Just yesterday, at a financial planning conference, I met a new colleague. He shared that his father had been an executive and that his family had faced financial struggles. Before he could even finish, I felt a visceral reaction rise up in me: You don’t get to complain. You don’t get to have had a hard time.

It was an automatic, reflexive response. The moment he said “executive,” my brain drew a line—you’re different from me.

But the wiser, more mature part of me, the financial therapist in me, recognized something else: that we all carry deeply personal stories around work and money. Whether we grew up in blue-collar households or white-collar households, whether our parents managed others or were managed by others, each of us has a narrative that shapes how we understand labor, income, and worth.

Why Labor Day Matters for All of Us

Labor Day reminds us that work is universal. Whether you are the CEO of a large corporation or the person working the cafeteria food line, the meaning of work—the longing to contribute, to create value, to provide for loved ones—is central to being human.

Yet our society often divides us based on status, title, or paycheck. Those divisions can spark judgment and misunderstanding, even in ourselves. But if we pause, reflect, and build empathy, we can see the deeper truth: every person’s labor has meaning.

This isn’t just an idealistic sentiment. Research across organizational psychology and sociology confirms that fairness, respect, and acknowledgment in the workplace lead to increased productivity, innovation, and well-being—for individuals and organizations alike.

Couples, Work, and Identity

For couples, these dynamics take on even more weight. Over the course of a relationship, partners may shift industries, change job titles, gain or lose income, or retire altogether. These transitions can silently, or not so silently, create crises of identity.

• What does it mean if my partner earns more than I do?

• Who am I if I step away from the workforce to raise children?

• What happens when my career no longer defines me the way it once did?

Labor Day offers an invitation not just to honor workers in general, but to reflect on how work and money shape our relationships. As financial therapists and planners, we see daily how couples wrestle with these shifts. We also see the growth that occurs when partners extend empathy to each other’s work journeys—past, present, and future.

A Reflection for This Labor Day

So as you enjoy this holiday weekend—whether with hot dogs, fireworks, or just a quiet day of rest—I invite you to slow down and reflect:

• What does labor mean in your family story?

• How do your work experiences shape your relationship with money?

• Where might judgment toward others’ work histories be blocking compassion?

• How has your identity around work shifted across your life or relationship?

Labor Day is more than a day off. It’s a moment to remember that labor, in all its forms, is sacred. When we honor the dignity of each other’s work—fairly, openly, and compassionately—we not only grow as individuals, but we strengthen our families, our workplaces, and our communities.

👉 At Healthy Love & Money, we believe these reflections aren’t abstract—they’re part of building healthier relationships with yourself, your partner, and your finances. This Labor Day, I hope you’ll take a pause, honor your own labor story, and extend compassion toward the labor stories around you.