A “penny” (penique) is part of the British pound (libra). There are 100 pennies in a pound.
If a person is “penny-wise” (mirar el dinero), he is careful with his money.
There is also an idiom (modismo). Some mortals are “penny-wise and pound foolish” (miran tanto el dinero que se acaba gastando un dineral). This means that they are so preoccupied (preocupado) with the small sums of money that they miss the big investment opportunities.
So are you penny-wise? Or are you penny-wise and pound foolish?
