With 10.7 million Americans out of work as of November 2020 (and 3.9 million of those workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more), many have been forced into having tough money conversations as a result of the pandemic.
Whenever your life changes significantly, it’s a good time to check back in on your financial plan, because things like marriage, divorce, a new baby or a career change can profoundly affect your household’s situation and cause you to rethink who is responsible for what.
Whether you share expenses with a roommate, a partner, adult children or parents, now is an especially good time to talk about money. Here are some ways to ease into these difficult conversations.
FIRST, FEEL YOUR FEELINGS
Few are having the 2020 they thought they’d have, and no one knows when normalcy will return. Mark Reyes, a Los Angeles-based certified financial planner who works for Albert, a financial wellness mobile app, experienced a major disappointment of his own: Earlier this year, he and his wife canceled their wedding after more than two years of planning, opting to elope in his aunt’s backyard instead.