Why don’t we talk about money?

I’ve noticed recently that conversations about finances are often avoided like conversations about sex. That seems wrong. One of the most personal and intimate experiences is as taboo as money. The thing we spend 20% of our waking lives* working to earn (if you spend 20% of your time awake having sex, hats off to you). The thing most of our society is based around. Many of the necessities of life have to be bought. Most education, travel, experiences, hobbies, transportation, and so much more has to be bought with money. But we don’t talk about it.

We don’t talk about wages, savings, spending, debt, or investments nearly as much as I think we should. There aren’t mandatory classes on basic financial planning and strategies. Some parents avoid the subject because they have or have had debt, or are embarrassed of their salary, or of their spending habits. Peers even avoid it, me and my friends just recently started talking in depth about all kinds of financial topics (and we are far better off for it, I’ll come back to that). The internet will readily show you the most recent fail video, or your favourite vlogger, or the hottest meme of the day, and those are all great things don’t get me wrong but that’s not my point. At the end of the day, we aren’t brought up to make smart financial decisions, and we most likely won’t at least a couple times.

We are left to our own devices and many people don’t put in the due diligence to learn what should be common knowledge. In high school, I realized this, and I began to research. I have gained budgeting skills, knowledge of financial terms and budgeting strategies. Much more than my friends. I still research continuously, especially with my new financial independence goals, into deeper and more complex investments. My knowledge is still far from incomplete. This is why we need to talk about money.

My friends and I talk about money regularly now, we help each other find the best accounts with fees, rates, ease of use, etc. We help each other think through major purchases, and recommend products for which we will get the most bang for our buck. We share budgeting ideas and strategies. We also share our wages, which has motivated some of us to get a deserved raise or seek a better job. The amount of financial knowledge we have as a group keeps increasing over time, and we are now the most financially smart people we know. This is something that I want to share with the community here.

For followers and viewers, I plan to write consistently about these topics and continue the sharing of knowledge to as many people as I can, as well as gaining some back from you guys as I go along. I want to do my part to fill the void and talk about money. I won’t be shy about disclosing details about my finances, either.

Now for full disclosure I am not an expert in any technical sense, I am not certified and I haven’t passed any tests, and basically the only education I have in this respect is self researched and experience. And that, I do believe is valuable. So follow if you want or stop back in when you need, and I’ll do my best to help.

 

Feedback would be appreciated, I’m still in my early stages of blogging so I hope I am doing okay!

*Also thanks for ReviseSociology for doing some of the calculations for me.