Peggy Post, who has taken over the Etiquette legacy from the mannerific Emily Post, was interviewed by Bankrate.com. She tackled the problem of the appropriateness of talking about money; that is, when and how not to do it.
Her tips were standard. People don’t like to talk about money because they feel they are being evaluated on how much they make or how much they spend. For some, talking about the topic is like revealing your age.
I don’t talk about money much in person. If I did, I’d be getting on people’s nerves as I would likely complain about the cost of my apartment or my salary, and I’m sure when I’m out being social, people don’t really want to hear that.
This increases the value of the blog to me. It’s relatively anonymous. Most of my friends don’t read this website (if they want to keep up they might read another blog I write that contains more information on my interests and activities) and don’t care about my financial situation.
I’m not breaching any etiquette by presenting my household income statement or balance sheet. Corporations aren’t embarassed when people read their annual reports; it’s just “business.”
The focus of this blog is my financial situation, but there’s much more to me than just that. I may have an accounting-related job, but that is just a coincidence. Money doesn’t define a person and it certainly doesn’t define me.
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Money does not define you, but why do you write about it? Why this blog? Why the roving comments? Why do you spread your thoughts before people who don’t and can’t know you?
I write about it to track my progress, to give myself culpability for my choices, and to share articles of interest with others. Personal finance is only one of my many interests, and I’m not defined by only one of my interests.
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