The Ugly Monster of Money Jealousy

This is a real tough one, and a topic not often talked about...though if you've got siblings, you may have already encountered the issue at some point.

What happens when you have MORE or LESS money than a sibling?

Here it's not a matter of the other person coming from a different background or having more family wealth.  The person likely grew up with you, maybe even shared a bedroom with you and darn it...you share most of the same DNA!

So what do you do when you're jealous of a sibling's money?  Or if you're the one with the money?  (Lucky you!) 

Maybe what you need is a Money Mentor

Hanging out with older women, you can pickup some of the best tips for life:

Smear-proof mascaras, how to correct a horrible hair coloring accident, where to find bargains on furniture, and SUNSCREEN.

These are all invaluable advice gathered from older women.

When older women start talking about money: LISTEN. They’ve learned the lessons already so you don’t have to start from scratch.

• Want to know how much of a raise you can ask for?

• Need someone you can trust for a mortgage?

• Worried about your debts and how to pay them back?

These are all moments to seek out some money mentoring. But don’t keep it all to yourself…remember to pay it forward!

Do you GIVE money to friends?

By now, author Elizabeth Gilbert's EAT PRAY LOVE book has been an international best seller and a movie staring Julia Roberts & Javier Bardem.

In the book, Gilbert recounts the story of how she raised money from friends to give to her friend/healer Wayan to build a home for Wayan and her daughter.

After the book came out, Gilbert has amassed a personal wealth of $25million.  Enough to build many homes many times over. 

But what happened when Gilbert decided to share some of her personal "good fortune" with close friends?  When is it a good idea to help out a friend by gifting money? 

What do you do when it comes to money + friends?

BEST guide on Prenups & honest financial conversations before marriage

Congratulations!  You're engaged or thinking about saying "YES!"...or maybe you're the one thinking about doing the ask, having found the right one.  (Well done!)

But hold on.  You are making one of the biggest decision of your life.

Before you start thinking about the who-what-when-where-how's of your wedding, consider for a moment what will be the financial impact of marriage on your life.

If you're even considering a prenup, have an honest (and perhaps brutal) conversation with your significant other about money BEFORE the wedding.  And even if you're not considering a prenup, STILL have the conversation.  Likely several conversations before you both bind yourselves in legal and financial union. 

This is the BEST guide we've seen on prenups and how to have a serious discussion about money between those who want to get married. 

Send it to your sisters, your girlfriends...send it to anyone who's thinking about getting married.

No more excuses. Nope. None.

You know that voice in your head?  The one that tells you when you're procrastinating or when you're making excuses that you already KNOW are poor excuses?

Well that voice wrote down what she wants to tell you when it comes to why you're NOT INVESTING.

And you know she's so right...so listen to hear and motivate yourself to start investing!

How to talk with your kids about the M-word?

Do you remember having the dreaded "S" talk with your parents or kids?  What about the "M" talk about money?  Don't remember ever having one?

If so, you're not alone.  Many people find it uncomfortable or don't know how to talk about money with their kids.

How about starting by writing a letter?  Here's some valueable lessons on managing money from parents to their children.  

While you're thinking about the topic, here's more on why moms SHOULD manage the money...

Do You Know How Much Money Your Spouse Has?

Quick! Do you know how much income your partner makes in a year?  What about how much retirement savings s/he has?  If the answer is no to both questions, will you ask to find out?

Recent research shows that amongst newlyweds “20 percent [of men] had secret financial accounts their partners didn't know about, compared to 12 percent of women.” 

The difficulties of talking openly about money seems to common to many relationships.  How financially open are you in your relationship? 

Saving your way to retiring in your 30s

It almost seems like it's an insane idea...retire in your 30s?! Only if you win the lottery or join a fantastically successful tech startup, right? 

Actually, no. 

You CAN save to retire in your 30's and here's how one "normal" couple did it.  Their personal journey may be extreme, but it still offers interesting options for reaching your own financial goals.  Lots of useful ideas here for reshaping your life to be financially free.  

Discussing Your Financial Future with Your Partner

When was the last time you and your partner had a chat about your financial future?  Do you know where your money is invested and how to access the funds if something were to happen? 

There's no one right way to manage joint finances, but having regular discussions with your partner about your finances can make a big difference to your financial future.