how much of your personal finance business do u tell?

[Goldy1]

My mom asked me how much I owed on my house yesterday and I replied "not that much"
She is not nosy and she asked me after we were talking about how much someone else we knows owes on thiers.
I know she was curious b/c everyone is curious about that stuff and she wants the best for my family, but I have my reasons for not telling.
We scrimped and saved to pay a lot of it down and I don't think most people can appreciate how we did that.

[swanson719]

I don't know - it depends on the context. If my family asked how much we owe, I'd probably tell them. But some of them resent us for it, while others encourage us to finish it off. I think it's best to just keep it to yourself unless someone who you really trust and won't judge asks.

[Goldy1]

yea it is easy to open your mouth and regret it later.

[simpleyme]

I never tell anyone anything
except...
My father in law kept asking if we were okay as he was worried about us having many real estate payments,I suddenly realized they were really worried about us, so I told we only have one small real estate payment , he was surprised but was happy to hear it
so I say I never share except to keep a old man from having a heart attack

[MiikeB]

Im pretty completely open, don't see any reason not to be, as long as I am reasonably comfortable with the person.

[isthisused]

I talk about it for a couple of reasons:1st because Im a former junky who was a financial mess and I think its important for people who are down to see that you can recover. 2nd I feel that the basics of personal finance can change peoples lives so I try to talk to people about how it has helped me. It feels so good to be financially secure, I want others to feel it to.

[mommyof4]

I think all of you know more about my personal finances than my extended family. Most of them have the courtesy not to ask too much.

[kork13]

If I'm asked specifically about any aspect of my finances, I normally don't have issue with responding frankly. However, I don't get asked specifics about my finances very often, so I simply don't share them. I'll occasionally get into money-talk with friends, primarily about investing, or perhaps saving, so I'll talk about those particular details sometimes, but again... specifics only if they seem appropriate. The last thing I want to do is seem like I'm bragging about how much I save/invest every month, when I know that some of my friends already have young families that they are supporting, and thus have less "free" money to save/invest right now.

My parents occasionally ask if I'm doing alright money-wise (they worry too much sometimes -- I'm their first to move out on my own), and to questions like that, I normally just say that my money situation is fine, and if they press, then I'll explain some details of my saving, investing, and progress on the little debt that I have...

But otherwise, my conversations about money with people tend to be more focused on what I've learned about money (in part through these forums... lol) more than what I personally do with my money.

[wnlbutterfly]

I think it would depend on who was asking and why they thought they needed to know. We were talking a lot about Dave Ramsey's baby steps and saving money with some cousins the other day and I gave some personal info, nothing that would cause gossip either.

My MIL tends to be more nosy, but she has been very financially savvy, and she also wants to make sure we are doing okay for my DD college tuition.

It's all perspective though. I have one cousin that everyone thinks makes more money than the rest, and she doesn't, her sister makes 3x the salary, but has nothing to show for it, another sister makes 2x what she does but is always in the "we are poor" frame of mind. (I don't have siblings...just cousins).

[snafu]

OP, my 1st reaction to a specific question about finance is to ask, "Why do you want to know?" Like others I don't mind talking in generalizations on how to track income & expenses, budgeting, distinguishing between needs and wants... if I'm asked for an opinion.

I know my family finds it strange that we don't buy new cars and don't start conversations about how much we spent on yadda yadda.

[isthisused]

I also speak very openly about my finances to my 13 year old. She knows how we use our credit, that I have life ins. And how much . She knows what we are saving for our retirement and what I want done with any inheritance I might leave behind. When she is on her own she will know how to handle her finances.

[Goldy1]

Well, I felt a little bad about not telling my mom, but not really. My dh is laid off and I know we have a lot more saved and down on our house (we owe very little) than she would expect. On one hand, I would like to tell her so she does not worry too much about us. However, I just didn't want to tell b/c I also don't want her to assume we have no worries at all b/c that is not true either.

[Cassandra]

I found that now I am more willing to talk about my finances than I used to be. The only people who know exactly how much I have (besides here) are my father and boyfriend. Everyone else I will answer, but won't give specifics.

However, most people I know wouldn't ask me for specifics. They might ask where I have my accounts, or what kind of accounts I have, but I doubt they would ask me how much money I have.

[whitestripe]

funnily enough, other than on this site, i only really feel comfortable talking openly about my finances with people (that I personally know) that earn more than me, or basically the same. for example, i feel bad talking to one of my close friends about the money that I earn, because we do the same job, only she is an apprentice (and I am not getting a qualification). She earns far less than me, but i know that i should not feel bad because in a years time she will earn much MORE than me. but until then i will not feel comfortable telling her how much i earn.

but i do talk openly about budgetting, saving and spending, with anyone. i feel these things should be more openly talked about as there are so many people that do not understand their own finances, and only need to be shown how things work for them to start getting on the right track. people's refusal to talk about this stuff leads to a lot of other people being in the dark.

[watsoninc]

I talk very openly about principles (emergency fund, debt elimination, investing, and wealth) but generally give very few details as to how much I have and exactly what I am doing with my finances. Because many people around me share a very different financial perspective from me, (1) I found that I was constantly justifying why I was being so conservative and (2) did not want to become a magnet for benevolence. Thus, I generally don't give very many specifics anymore with a few exceptions. For me, it would definitely depend on who was asking and the context of the question.

[Ima saver]

I talk very openly about my finances to anyone that is interested. Most people are not interested in talking about money. That is why I enjoy this forum so much.

[Goldy1]

I am comfortable talking about my assets here b/c it is somewhat anonymous(well mostly anyway and that is the point often here)
I don't mind saying how much I paid for my home or often what my mortgage is, but I can't imagine telling people how much money I have in the bank etc.
I got a big screen tv a couple years ago. I bought it with cash, and thought about it(no impulse buy). My old tv was big too but over 10 years old, and I sold it also to get some money back.
However, the new tv was about 2 grand. I did not tell my coworkers I am friendly with I got it b/c I knew they didnt' have the money for that, and I didn't want to not feel like one of the gang so to speak esp. since if it were not for my dh's income I would not have that tv and I know it.

I just find it interesting how some buddies tell me intricate financial details and some won't even generalize.

[ScrimpAndSave]

I'm proud to tell people that I saved up over $20,000 in only a year.

[puck36]

I'm proud to be debt free but the house and that I have saved $150 in coupons so far this year. If someone asked me about my persoanl finance I'll tell them.

[boosami]

I do not talk to people in specifics about my financial situation. I feel like knowing specifics changes relationships. My friends know in general I make a good living and don't have any debt. Some of them know more specifics about certain investments, like the amount of stock I might own in a particular company. But I don't talk openly about my income or anything like that.

When I finally told my girlfriend my annual income, it changed our relationship. She had always knew I am well off, but now she is convinced I am "rich." She hasn't abused this knowledge yet, but I am watching out for it. Past relationships of mine have definitely become screwed up for this same thing.

It's my experience that any time a group of people talk about income, someone ends up feeling hurt. It's a subject better left to generalities.