Do You Talk to Your Friends About Money?

How do you feel about money? Does the word draw up excitement? Dread? Confusion? Would you rather not think about it?

If you’re like many folks, money is not the breeziest subject. Yet how we feel about finances can say a lot about our sense of self-worth and even our beliefs about our bodies and sexuality. And like sex, it’s a topic many of us don’t learn much about.

No matter our gender, money stress can wreak havoc on our lives, but women often face unique challenges. We tend to live longer than men and we’re 80 percent more likely to live in poverty from midlife on, according to a report by the National Institute of Retirement Security. We also tend to make less money for equal work, pay more for many products and experience greater pressure to spend money on our looks.

These are just some of the reasons I addressed money in my new Girl Boner book and forthcoming journal and why I was thrilled to sit down with Elaine Low on Girl Boner Radio recently. The financial journalist and video producer for Investor’s Business Daily had a lot to say about missing conversations around money, the gender gap in terms of investing and practical ways we can all start empowering ourselves financially.

“I have covered the financial industry for over four years now,” she said. “Something that’s always been sort of a bit of disconnect for me is covering it in a business area and then going out to lunch with friends. How often do we talk about money with our friends? It’s a complicated subject, you know, and it’s really dicey. But we’re more comfortable talking about sex over brunch than salaries or retirement savings. And why is that?”

Why indeed? Learn much more in the episode.

Stream our full Girl Boner Radio chat on iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify or below!

The episode also addresses:

• Financial role models, for women in particular
• Ways to approach “money talk”
• Navigating societal pressure to spend money on our looks while expressing ourselves as we wish
• A bit of real talk about money and book tours (based on my personal experience)
• Beginner’s investing tips
• A listener’s concerns that women won’t date a guy on a shoestring budget, with the help of Dr. Megan Fleming