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The holiday season is one of the best times of year to slow down and enjoy quality time with friends and family. When the whole family gets together, there’s bound to be a few hot topic discussions as you all catch-up.
One of the most commonly avoided topics is money, unfortunately. Talking about money can make some people feel uncomfortable even though everyone may very well be thinking about money during the holiday season.
Whether it involves spending money on gifts, saving for holiday travel, or figuring out your financial goals for the following year, we’re all dealing with our personal finances in some way around this time of year. So, why not discuss it with loved ones?
The main reason why families avoid ‘the money talk’ right along with high-intensity topics like politics during the holiday season is that they don’t really know how to go about having a healthy and comfortable conversation without.
Talking about money with family on special days like Thanksgiving and Christmas should be natural and even fun instead of being perceived as a taboo topic. You can learn a lot about finances from other people without overstepping any boundaries.
Recently, I contributed my expert advice to a Chime article regarding breaking the stigma and openly discussing money with family during the holidays.
It starts by setting proper expectations to eliminate the stress, overwhelm, and awkwardness that can surround the conversation.
How you initially approach the conversation is important too since you don’t want to offend anyone or make them feel attacked.
Luckily, there are plenty of simple ways to ease into comfortable, effective, and enlightening money talks with your family during one of the most special times of the year.
Be sure to check out my tips mentioned in this article along with what other experts had to add so you can use it as a guideline to steer a positive and healthy money conversation as you gather with your loved ones to celebrate the holidays.