Fwd: Do You Need To Have “The Talk?”

RE: Please head on over to Do You Need To Have "The Talk?" to read the full blog post. If you'd like to read this later, please save it to Pinterest.

Hello!

Every so often, I hear from someone who says that I shouldn't talk about money so openly, as they believe it is rude, distasteful, vulgar… I could go on and on, especially in the Asian culture. And if I do it has to be strategic.  The Money Taboo, @Forbes, read on.

Sadly, many people think that talking about money is tacky and more taboo than anything else.

For someone like me who is comfortable talking about how much I earn, the amount I save, and more, I make a lot of people uncomfortable, haha.

But, that's not what I'm trying to do.

I'm not trying to show off, brag or make people feel less than they are, be rude, or anything like that...

Instead, I believe that being more open about money is better for everyone!

However, I regularly see people being shamed for talking about money, and I see it more and more often, on social media.

Recently on Facebook, someone I know asked their friends and family how much money they were making and saving on a monthly basis. It seemed like a pretty harmless question, and I was happy to see someone I know in real life openly talk about money.

Their reasoning was that they just began saving and they simply wanted to talk with others about saving money. They were looking for motivation and support – they weren't trying to do any harm.

Then, someone commented with something like, "Sharing actual numbers is disgusting. Use percentages, if you must." Be strategic...

The conversation continued, others chimed in, and it became clear that openly talking about money made some people quite angry. There was an overwhelming amount of people who said the whole conversation was tacky and that money should not be discussed, EVER.

Why does talking about money have to be so secretive? And do stigmatized?

Is it really that tacky? Or rude!?

Having a financial blog means I get some interesting emails about this sort of thing, some from people who think it's crazy that I publish income reports and talk about money so openly.

So, I'm very aware of the Taboo and stigma about money, that comes from talking about money.

In fact, according to a survey conducted by Ally Bank, 70% of Americans think that it's rude to talk about money. Respondents said they were more likely to disclose their income (39%) over savings (30%) or debt (29%) to family and friends. Certain temp job contracts forbid you to discuss salary.

And, it doesn't end there. People don't like to talk about how much they make, pay in rent, their monthly mortgage payment, or even how much they spend on internet services and so on.

I don't get it – why does the amount you pay for internet each month have to be a secret?

Talking about money is even seen as taboo among close family members, even among married couples or close friends and partners, in consensual unions. According to a survey done by Fidelity, 43% of respondents don't know how much their partner earns, and 36% are unaware of the amount they have saved or invested.

Related:

• Would you risk your relationship and finances to cosign for a friend?
• Money And Relationships: Are You On The Verge Of Calling It Quits?
• How And Why My Husband And I Keep Separate Finances

Here are 4 powerful reasons why you should talk about money more often and openly.

Please head on over to Do You Need To Have "The Talk?" to read the full blog post. If you'd like to read this later, please save it to Pinterest.

Thanks!

João

P.S.: The 4 powerful reasons:

• Being open about finances can help everyone.
• Being aware of your own finances is important.
• Talking about money teaches your children valuable lessons.
• It doesn't have to be rude or awkward to talk about money.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner <michelle@makingsenseofcents.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 8:04 AM
Subject: Do You Need To Have "The Talk?"
To: jon-jon <joaoa.dsilva2019@gmail.com>

Michelle from Making Sense of Cents

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