People generally fear anything to do with finances (unless, of course, they have won the lottery). In fact, this may be the number one thing that people AVOID. We can be very good at justifying why we really don't need to concern ourselves with our financial state of being "right now". These justifications include: "Something is going to happen really soon that will turn things around", "My debt isn't that bad", "I'm still so young; I'll start saving soon", "I'll deal with the bills later."

So what are the real reasons we don't want to deal with our finances? There are four primary reasons for this avoidance and they tend to stem from what we have learned or not learned about finances and life as we were growing up. Each of these reasons are presented below, with a solution for how to make the necessary changes for your benefit.

We are uncomfortable talking about money:

Most of us simply aren't raised to be truly comfortable with the topic of money. It is rarely freely spoken about. Many of us were taught us that it was rude or otherwise inappropriate to discuss money. Perhaps you grew up in a home in which your parents did not know how to manage finances. Of course, it was never appropriate to share what you were earning or how much things cost and if you had debt you certainly never told anyone. We are also never taught about money in school. A remarkably small number of students ever took classes on personal finance, debt management, investing, building residual income, setting financial goals, or any other topics that are so obviously critical in real, day-to-day life.

Solution: Start talking honestly about money with people you trust. At Abundance Bound (Financial Education and Planning for Actors and Artists) we encourage our clients to work with a friend who also wants to make financial changes, and commit to helping and supporting each other without any judgment. Start sharing what things cost how else can we find the best deals and bargains? Be truthful about your financial struggles and even your debt. This will bring it out in the open so you can no longer pretend it doesn't exist. Make a commitment to learning about money. Read books, take classes, get help creating a personal financial plan that will work for you regardless of how desperate your financial situation may seem.

It is unfamiliar, so we feel like failures:

It naturally follows that, if we were not taught about financial management as we grew

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