Why Don’t People Talk About Money?

It wasn’t that long along that sex was considered to be a “dirty” word, and something which people didn’t talk about in public.

However today “sex talk” is becoming increasingly more common, and most people seem to be more willing to talk about sex than they are about how much money they earn. It’s almost like “money” has become the new dirty word.

Of course there are some obvious exceptions to this. The first can be found in the entertainment industry, where we are constantly told how many millions a certain sports star or actor recently made.

The second exception can be found with the people you know, who know that they have more money than you.

In cases like this they will happily disclose to you how much they earn, because in today’s society money is equated with power and status. So by telling you about it, they get an immediate boost to their self esteem.

However it should be noted that this does not apply to everyone who is wealthier than you, as generally it is only those who are insecure within themselves who feel the need to boast about their wealth. People who are secure with themselves, tend to keep their finances private.

Why Don’t We Like Talking About Money?

Our societal reluctance to talk about money is first evident during early childhood. For example, you may recall asking your parents how much money they earn, and then being given an evasive answer.

For some reason, our parents didn’t want to tell us how much money they earned, and most were more willing to talk about sex related subjects than they were about finances.

Even at school we didn’t seem to talk about money. If we were lucky we may have learnt the value of certain coins, but we were never told how to manage our money or how to use it wisely.

Later in life when we get married even couples seem to avoid talking about money, only mentioning it when it becomes a problem.

However by this stage it’s usually too late, as heated financial arguments are one of the leading causes of martial break-ups.

As you can see from the examples given above, there seems to be a cultural trend in our society which tells us that talking about money is bad, and so it should be kept a private matter.

The only people we do hear talking about money are those who have a lot of it, those who ask other people for it and the financial experts we see on TV.

The effect of all this is that it tends only to reinforce our cultural reluctance to talk about personal finance, because we are made to think that this is something which only applies to the very rich.

Should Money Really Be A Private Matter?

Keeping your personal finances private isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you probably don’t want everyone knowing how much you earn a month or how much you have saved in the bank.

However this doesn’t mean you should never discuss financial matters with other people, as by doing so you can help yourself save money and even make money.

For example, talking with a friend about how to save money on your shopping bill, or inexpensive places you can go to enjoy yourself over the weekend, can help you to avoid needlessly wasting your money and manage what you do have more efficiently.

Or perhaps you might ask a friend for advice on choosing the best car insurance, or insurance for your home. Maybe they made a mistake from which you can learn from?

Of course you don’t have to follow the advice you’re given, however by raising these sorts of topics with your friends and colleagues you will find that your awareness of money related issues begins to increase.

And when you start thinking more about money, you will find that you automatically begin to handle your personal finances much better than you did before.

For the simple reason that you are now actively managing your money, rather than just hoping it will sort itself out.

So from now on try not to see money as a dirty word, because it isn’t. The more you talk about money the more you will learn, and the more you learn the more you will earn.