Your Money Attitude

Introduction:   Ask: What comes into your mind when you think about money?  Very briefly discuss 2 or 3 participant responses. 

 1.         Participants individually write 3-5 statements (complete sentences) about  money than may reflect their values or their personal choices.

 2.         In groups of three, participants compare their individual lists. 

            a.         Identify commonalities and differences.

            b.         Identify positive and negative statements.

 3.         Each group creates a single list of 5 statements on which they generally agree.

 4.         Share the groups’ lists among the large group.  Discuss the meanings of the statements.

 5.         Discuss the lists – What personal attitudes or perspectives do the lists reflect?

 6.         Discuss how these may be attitudes are formed – the experience that form them.

 Summary – Ideas about money

 Your attitude about money is a result of many factors and experiences in your life.  The number one influence for many people is how they learned about money and financial values from their parents or other adult family members.  Children watch and hear the adults in their talk about spending, banks, borrowing and saving.

 Your personal income level and life experiences also have a big impact.  A bad experience with a bank can stay with you for a long time.  Many people do not trust banks for a variety of reasons.

 Even those with positive role models and experiences can have very different values.  Among two siblings you might find one who is a spender and another who is saver.  They may have very different values about how to spend their money.

 One traumatic life experience, such as a costly illness, loss of a job, divorce or other family problem, can also impact your money values.  

 Examples:   

Money buys things.

Money creates greed.

Money means security.

Money solves problems.

Money is power.

Money is positive.

Money is risk.

Money is your friend.

Money is good/bad.

Money is the root of all evil.

Money can’t buy happiness.

 Final discussion:

 7.         Where do our attitudes about money come from?  Discuss the influence of a  parent, other adult role models, the media, music, etc.

 8.         How do they affect our behavior and choices?   How do we act on these ideas? 

            How do they affect our willingness to spend or save?

 9.         How can we use our money attitudes to contribute to our personal success?