I didn’t realize my family was rich until my final years of high school. I was mortified when I began to recognize hints of class privilege (that I knew others had noticed while I was oblivious), like my ability to choose to start working during summer breaks and the fact that my jobs were (and continue to be) decidedly low pay, but fun and enriching. I didn’t have to spend what I earned and my modest savings grew over the years.

Our family members – from far-flung corners of the country – met for ninety-minutes, once a month, via Google Hangouts. Since we’d never really talked about money before, our first topic was,

“how are/aren’t you open about your financial situation (to self, family, friends)?”

Most of my family members talked about the importance of discretion and their reluctance to reveal anything about their financial lives to acquaintances and even close friends; some talked about negative experiences loaning friends money; no one had positive examples of being open about money.

Family dynamics can be really tough, but there are also wonderful moments of affirmation.  I’ve been charting a very different course than my late grandfather established for our family, and I’m glad she doesn’t see me as challenging his legacy, but instead appreciates how I’m stepping up to fill a void.

Read the source article at Resource Generation