When my sisters and I were helping our mother transition from our family home to an apartment and then to assisted living, we had to have a lot of money conversations. At first it was difficult – especially since it meant asking a parent to reveal their finances to their children.
But with time, those money conversations got easier.
And we never could have gotten my mother the help she needed if we hadn’t been able to talk openly and honestly about money.
We are told it is not polite to talk about money, but talking about money can be a huge gateway towards improving your own financial situation.
I was lucky that my sisters and I had a good, trusting relationship to start with – not everyone has that. But if you start small you can build a dialog, and that can make the big conversations easier.
If you can’t trust the people in your life to be supportive, find a trusted friend or advisor that you can share with. Talking to other people can give us perspective, new ways of looking at things, and the motivation and courage to take action,
If there is a money conversation you have been avoiding – find a way to start it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to figure it all out in one try. Just get started, and trust that if you are both in the conversation with good intentions, you will find a way to make it work.
Need someone to help facilitate a money conversation? Or just want a trusted person that you can talk to? I am here for exactly that! Contact me and we can start with a free, 30-minute, one-on-one video call.
