Too Taboo to Talk About It

Bank.

Cheddar.

Gravy.

Bacon.

Cash.

Dough.

Moolah.

Bucks.

Benjamins.

Money.

We all want more of it, but we’re too afraid to talk about it.

I’ve noticed that the more taboo a subject is, the more slang words enter our language to navigate it. Money has a ton of slang synonyms, second only to sex and poop, in my estimation.

But why is that? Why do people get so weird when it comes to talking about money? (And why are most of the slang terms food related? A topic for another time, perhaps?)

I think one reason money is taboo is that we mistake net worth for self-worth. Net worth is simply the dollar amount of what you OWN, minus the dollar amount of what you OWE. That’s it.

Your value as a human does not have a dollar amount.

Your value as a human is beyond limit.

Period.

But I believe the main reason money is a taboo subject may simply be that we feel shame around it. Personal finance was never taught in school until just recently. Our parents gave us weird notions about money that we picked up when we were preschoolers—that they learned from their parents when they were preschoolers. So nearly nobody is any good with money, but somebody let us have a mortgage and a credit card, and somebody is paying us a paycheck. All the while the culture we live in bombards us with messages about how we need to spend all that cash and credit.

It’s no wonder the average person is swamped with debt and doesn’t want to talk about it. Because we feel like we ought to know what we’re doing. We ought to have it together by now. We’re all adults. We’re adulting.

So that’s what I’m here to do—to make a space where it’s okay to talk about money. Judgment-free. Open and honest and safe. Let’s break down taboos and bust cultural expectations around money. Let’s change the conversation from one of fear to one of freedom. Let’s do it together.

Let’s talk about money, because this is the way we’ll make progress.

Let’s talk about money, because, as Ann Voskamp once said, “Shame dies when stories are told in safe places.”

If you’re too scared, I’ll go ahead and start.

Would you like to talk with me about your financial journey? Schedule a complimentary consultation here.