Dianne Arnette, a licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed professional counselor offers her insight on finding emotional clarity following a financial windfall.
Were your parents’ spenders or savers? Maybe one was a saver and the other a spender? These family dynamics typically transfer from the previous generation. Throw sudden wealth into the mix and watch out for the family of origin issues that may resurface!
The challenge of spenders vs. savers is one of the family pitfalls that often accompany sudden wealth. It can be avoided or at least minimized with a pro-active approach toward compromise, many times only achieved with the aid of an objective and experienced therapist. In therapy, identification of your family patterns will be pursued. Sharing stories of your childhood family successes and challenges will help identify your personal style and the obstacles that may accompany it. Monitoring these old habits and behaviors can be a catalyst to positive change.
By establishing healthy boundaries that are respected and valued by both partners, you and your significant other are more able to cohesively explore the spending and investment decisions that go hand in hand with sudden wealth. Don’t wait until you are in a crisis state to deal with the family of origin issues that so often accompany new found wealth. In just a few sessions you will garner new skills and refine old ones for effective communication and compromise with your spouse especially when discussing money.
Sudden wealth can be an exciting time for you and your spouse. It shouldn’t create a fork in the road between you. A counselor can help make the path clearer but the journey is yours. What path will you take? Join us again for more helpful tips in dealing with the emotional aspects of sudden wealth. I’m Dianne Arnett, thanks for reading.
Dianne Arnett, M.A., LMFT, LPC assisted in Psychological analysis while David Rust and Shane Moore wrote the book, Sudden Wealth: Blessing or Burden?, The Stories of Eight Families and the Financial AND Emotional Challenges They Face with Financial Windfalls.
Click here to purchase Sudden Wealth: Blessing or Burden?
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