Nature vs. Nurture – Did I get my Money Personality From My Parents?
When we talk with people about their Money Personalities, someone always asks us, “Did I get my Money Personality from my parents? Was I born with them, or was it how I was raised?” The answer is yes and not really.
We see example after example that verifies your two Money Personalities are part of your DNA in other words, God hardwired them into you. Of course, there is no actual Money Personality gene currently identified, but the way you think about money seems to be programmed in right from the start. DNA or Deoxyribonucleic acid is, simply stated, a record of instructions found in our cells telling them what their job is going to be. Your Money Personality DNA tells you how to approach daily money decisions.
Money Personalities and Siblings
Two siblings are a great example. Let’s take two brothers, Cole and Cade whose parents are both primary spenders. Cole is a Saver/Risk Taker and Cade is a Spender/Security Seeker. Take Cade’s Primary Saver Money Personality. He can’t keep a dollar in his pocket to save his life. If he finds money on the ground or in the couch cushions, you can smell the smoke from the hole burning in his pocket.
But Cole is a Primary Saver. He lives in a home with three people who get a gargantuan thrill out of spending money while spending money essentially pains Cole. He’d rather not have to watch.
When Cole was younger, he told his parents about his plan to buy a totally cool car someday. In just a few years, the eleven-year-old had socked away almost two thousand dollars in the local bank.
Nature vs. Nurture
Your family of origin can have a big influence on how you feel about money, but we find that most people can look back and see signs of their engrained Money Personalities from their childhood well before they would be intentionally responding to their parents’ influence.
Your Money Personality is as much a part of you as your feelings about eating fish to increase your omega-3s and is unlikely to change. So don’t fight it. Embrace your Money Personalities!
Taylor and Megan Kovar
The Money Couple
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