Quit Lying About Money

Published on July 6th, 2010

By Agatha Kulesza

Quit lying about money! We all do it.  We lie about money.  It seems to be commonplace.  Why do many people still think its taboo to speak openly about money?

Rich people talk to each other about their money situations all the time.  They share tips and knowledge with one another that can make them even richer!

We also know that being honest and vulnerable with others about our challenges can often lead to fantastic lines of support and lots of solutions.  And although this has changed a bit since the financial meltdown, many people are still embarrassed or shy about talking openly about their money.  It’s that white elephant in the room that everyone knows about, but somehow does not talk about.  Why?

Imagine if everyone around you was just honest about where they were at with their money.  So instead of pretending like they have it all together and everything is beautiful and rosy they were brutally honest and said something like “I have no savings and I just declared bankruptcy”.  Wouldn’t it be such a breath of fresh air to hear such honesty for once?

In this country we have learned to become a bunch of pretenders when it comes to our money.  We pretend we can afford that huge house, that nice car, the fancy private schools, and the designer clothes.  But the truth is many of us are killing ourselves to keep up with the pace of this “fancy” lifestyle, sacrificing our financial and sometimes physical wellbeing just to keep up with the Jones’s.

So what would happen if there were no Jones’s?  Could we all just go back to living within our means and not feeling so much pressure to live up to a certain standard?  Could we relieve ourselves of the stress and worries of credit card debt, bankruptcy, and lack of retirement funds?

I believe we could. And it all starts with us breaking down those old ideas that we can’t talk to each other about our money lives.  So why not start now?  Tell someone in your life what’s really going on with you and your money.  You may have lots of worries or everything might be going great, either way if you can be honest about where you are it will encourage others to be honest about where they are. Then we can feel great about our relationship with money and feel comfortable sharing it.

Agatha Kulesza is the CEO and Founder of Agatha K, LLC, an Accounting firm that specializes in financial empowerment.  Agatha K has two divisions: private client CFO services and public home study courses about all things financial. Firmly believing in financial freedom and empowerment, her mission is to help people take power over their money so they can take power over their lives. Check out more from Agatha by going to www.Agatha-K.com

  • http://thefinancialwhisperer.com Pegi Burdick

    You made some interesting points, but talking about money opens a tinderbox of emotions for most people and especially women. Money is a symbol, and although on the surface, everyone says: “freedom”, it’s much more than that for many. The key is to understand what is underneath that symbol and why someone chooses money instead of food, alcohol, over-working, etc, as the arena in which to express their dis-content. Healing the damage from one’s childhood releases the attachment of using money as an expression of pain.