Money: The Last Taboo

Why is it you know all about your best friend’s sex life, but nothing about her salary? Why will your brother reveal intimate details about the house he’s building—complete with the cost of every last fixture—but not tell you his income or the size of his last bonus? And why are your parents hiding their money secrets along with the other skeletons in that closet?
The answer in each case is simple: “Because money is the final taboo.”
A quick survey of the morning talk shows—everything from Ellen to Jerry Springer—reveals that money may be the only thing people today are reluctant to talk about.
That makes it that much more important to discuss the issue with your partner in, well, intimate detail.
You are probably conditioned not to do it. You may have heard that money is the root of all evil. Or you are embarrassed because you are the spender in the relationship (or the cheapskate.) Or you believe there are much more important things in life than money.
Well, we subscribe to the comedian Fred Allen’s theory: “There are many things in life more important than money, and they all cost money.”
On a more serious note, the statistics prove that money problems are the number one reason for divorce in the United States. (And while nobody tracks these things, we would guess it is also the number one reason unmarried and gay couples break up as well.)
So, the sooner you and your partner talk about your personal finances and create a working plan for how you can handle your money for the rest of your lives, the better off you will be now, and the easier it will become in the future.