When couples think about building intimacy, investments and budgets rarely make it high on the priority list. Many partners dread financial talks for a number of reasons, but deep down I think most of us are afraid to get real about our financial situation. Whether you think money doesn’t belong in normal pillow talk, or are scared to admit your past spending mistakes, it is essential for the health of your relationship that you learn to grow in financial intimacy.
My guest today is Jacquette Timmons, author of Financial Intimacy and expert on the subject of money and relationships. Jacquette’s interest in the subject began as a spark of curiosity. She started to notice certain patterns and biases women, in particular, were operating under in their relationships. She studied further and found that most women handle no finances for their household at all. Many couples do not even talk about money unless it has to do with a large transaction. Time and again, Jacquette observed tragic and difficult situations were made worse because one or more individuals in the pair were afraid to be intimate with their finances. This hardship is entirely preventable, and Jacquette is going to show us how it’s done.
Like peeling back layers of an onion, Jacquette is going to reveal exactly why it is so hard for us to talk about money, and where most of our biases and insecurities lie. We will compare perspectives on finances from a woman’s perspective, as well as a man’s. She has excellent advice for singles who are not currently in a relationship, as well as couples who have been together for a long time. It is never too late to start building financial intimacy, and it is easier than you might think!
More in this episode:
- Learn why Jacquette wrote her book, and the spark of curiosity regarding couples and intimacy.
- Couples are keeping financial information from one another, and that has to end!
- Based off of Jacquette’s field research, many women defer financial management to their husbands.
- We also need to be discussing our abilities to withstand financial stress.
- Never make assumptions about what others are thinking about money.
- There are gender biases about how we perceive money.
- Financial Intimacy advice for singles, long-time partners, and non-traditional couples.
Resources
Financial Intimacy by Jacquette Timmons
