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Nathan's monthly newsletter is designed to help you think, talk and teach about money using the Share Save Spend philosophy. Printing and posting the column in a visible place like the refrigerator door, office or classroom can be a great way to stimulate money conversations with your family and friends.
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| Look Who's Talking? |
Talking about money can be challenging – even when times are good.
So when times get tough it stands to follow that the noise-meter reading on money-related conversations plummets to “can even hear a pin drop” levels. And there’s the conundrum. Just when we should be ramping-up our emotionally neutral money conversations, silence becomes the trend du jour.
That’s not to say you started out with silence as a goal. Rather, many folks tell me they’ve tried to be proactive in their money conversations and then hit a wall. In this case the “wall” is a mix of volume (no longer a conversational tone) and choice of vocabulary (definitely trending PG13) – not exactly the best way to yield productive outcomes.
Let’s rewind a year just before everything started to unravel. I was working with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) to produce six money-related segments for their weekly news program Almanac. The goal: confront the age-old question that confounds even the chattiest among us – why is it so hard for people to talk about money?
Timing is everything. Because of the economic craziness we were able to film people and situations that, until now, would only exist in the shadows. I think it’s some of the best stuff I’ve done thanks in part to the folks who agreed to be interviewed and the production crew at TPT.
The late Don Hewitt, the genius that created 60 Minutes, said the key to his long-running success could be attributed to a simple phrase – “tell me a story”.
There are times when we don’t have the right words or vocabulary to express how we feel about certain events – that’s when silence wins out. If you’re in that camp then I encourage you to visit my Facebook Page and watch the six short segments I did with TPT (you don’t have to be a member of Facebook to view the segments).
If you find the stories are helpful, share them with others who might also need a jumpstart and help break the chain of silence.
One Share Save Spend Idea:
After you’ve viewed the segments, pick the ones that will be helpful for others in your family to view and then watch them together.
Then use them as a springboard for your own money conversations.
Money Talks: One question for teaching about money
Why is it so hard for people to talk about money?
Gotta Have It Now WOW!
54% of women said their financial situation is worse than a year ago vs. 38% of men.
Source: Performics 2009 Online Buyer Economics Trend Study
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