This post is part of the Blog for Financial Literacy campaign started by Glenn Cooke of Life Insurance Canada.com. Glenn asked dozens of bloggers to devote their November 15 post to sharing their “single best financial tip,” in recognition of Financial Literacy Month. I am not a financial blogger, but I couldn’t resist adding my tip to the pool.
“Talk About Money“, pretty simple but requires you to take an active approach to discussing this topic. For many families and individuals it’s taboo to bring the subject of money up. While discussing the full details of your financial situation might be too uncomfortable there is the chance to start small. The discussion isn’t about how much money you make or your net worth but more about your approach to saving and spending.
I encourage you to ask your parents about their financial situation. While you may get push back to begin with, stick with it. If your parents are older then you might be suddenly responsible for their finances. Better for you to have an idea now where things stand.
Talk to your friends about what they are doing to save money. Learning how they have reduced cable bills, mortgage rates and setup discount brokerage accounts will put money in your pocket. Which you can then use to buy your friend drinks, preferably beer.
If talking with family or friends isn’t an option then the internet is a great resource of information. Many bloggers cover financial topics of a specific nature. Find one that covers an area you are interested in learning more about and ask questions in the comments if you need more information. All of the financial bloggers I have talked to are very keen to answer reader comments, sharing information is why they started blogging in the first place. No question is a dumb one, you can ask Dan Bortolotti of Canadian Couch Potato, about a few of my questions. The Blog for Financial Literacy has a great list of finical blogs to get you started.
I believe one of the failings of our schools is that they turn out educated members of our society without giving them any idea of how the financial world works. When it comes to negotiating job offers, getting a descent mortgage rate, saving for the future or understanding taxes, many people leave school with no idea how these important things work. We all seem to be learning on our own, by trial and error. My solution is to start talking about money, you can start now by commenting below.