Do you remember the Mr. Yuk stickers?  At an early age, we were taught not to touch bottles or anything that had the Mr. Yuk sticker.  I can also remember the campaigns for: Stop, Drop, and Roll, D.A.R.E., and MADD.  Yet, what I do not remember was ever learning about personal finance. I was set for poison, drugs, drinking and driving, and fires.  However, I never learned the basics for spending and saving money in my everyday life.

Over the past few years I have become a Suze Orman fan.  I like her sassy style and her direct and to-the-point message.  I was not always so interested in money advice and information (just in collecting Mr. Yuk stickers).  I learned much of what I now know because I was put in situations where I had to learn quickly or the hard way.  Now I like to try to learn and understand things before I am put in such situations.  What I’ve always wondered though, is why money is such a taboo topic. Discussions about money are met with discomfort by others.  We do not discuss our personal salary, our adjusted gross income, our interest income, or total household wealth.  Now, I am not encouraging you to go out and do so.   What I am hoping, is that personal finance is something that is more prevalent in our everyday discussions.

When you find a great sale or an amazing find, you tell your friends and family, right?  Do you do the same when you learn about an excellent ETF (Exchange Traded Fund)?  I’ve always been baffled that I was taught how to cook in Home Economics, but I was never taught how to balance a checkbook, what an APR on a credit card meant, and how important a credit score was on purchasing a house, a car, and now even finding a job.

If we do not teach the ramifications of avoiding our bills, or what happens when we default on a credit card, then how can we live in society and be responsible for our obligations?  Yet, we are taught early on how to sew and make chocolate chip cookies (or depending on the school how to saw wood, or hammer a nail).  These types of money discussions should be happening with children early on in life.  Children should understand that charging items on a credit card means that at the end of the month they should be able to pay for their purchase.

Maybe this is all a factor in why our nation is in such the mess it is in?  Is more education needed for both adults and youth about the importance of money conversations in our lives?  I know I can benefit from continuing to learn about personal finance and how I can better set up my retirement. Should we all proceed with more caution and resolve to be more open and honest with ourselves and others about finance?  No eye protection or Mr. Yuk stickers required.

Happy conversing!