300 | Relationships and Money | Jillian Johnsrud

<ul> <li>Money is one of the top three things people struggle to communicate with, falling right below sex and above our reasons and motivations for work.</li> <li>In her coaching practice, Jillian finds clients will be very open in one-on-one sessions, but when working with couples, it becomes much more uncomfortable.</li> <li>Jillian believes this discomfort is because discussions of things like sex and money happened behind closed doors and weren’t modeled for us growing up.</li> <li>In response to a call put out for questions in Brad’s FI Weekly newsletter, listeners submitted their questions for Jillian about relationships and money.</li> <li>The first comes from Jonesy who had a question about keeping the lines of communication open about money with a significant other when they are at different stages. He is working and beginning to build his portfolio and savings, while his significant other is still in school and struggling to make ends meet.</li> <li>Jillian suggests first trying to find common ground to discuss money. You can start with telling your own money stories, like how your parents spent money or what you wish they had spent money on. It’s important to feel seen and heard. Sharing childhood stories are opportunities to start having conversations to begin learning about each other financially.</li> <li>Help make the conversation not feel like a trap by being genuinely curious about your partner’s life and experience. You can approach discussions about money much in the same way couples talk about the parenting they witnessed and experienced.</li> <li>Pick one or two questions to open up the conversation and put your partner in a relaxed state. Ensure they feel seen and heard before transitioning into conversations on budgets or debt payoff.</li> <li>Taking the small step of sharing money stories can help the couple come away with positive feelings, feel closer, and know just a little bit more about each other.</li> <li>Jillian and her husband did not communicate about money well during the first