Money bullies are everywhere. How can you identify and save yourself from one? Read on to find out.
Are you a money bully? Is your spouse a money bully? Is your best friend a money bully? Money bullies are everywhere. They come in all shapes, sizes and whatever! You can find money bullies lurking within your social circle. Also, there are many on the internet (Don’t believe? Try reading the comments section!).
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You might be wondering what these money bullies do, right? No, they won’t be bullying you for your money. Rather, they are the ones that make you feel small just to show off their financial knowledge. So, the next time you ask a finance-related question and you get shamed or embarrassed at the response, then you have just encountered a money bully.
Now the question is – how can you identify a money bully? Here are the different types of money bullies found across our planet.
The Unwelcome Advisor
These are the financial experts (or at least they think of themselves that way!) who love to poke their noses in your business and give their unasked-for advice. They believe that they are helping you sort your problems. Though they secretly love the superiority they feel every time they get you to do whatever they suggested.
What to do with them? Well, you could just thank them for their advice and subtly change the topic before they start their talk again.
What to do if you are one of these? Ah! If you usually catch yourself giving unnecessary advice to people, take a minute to think how you’ll feel if someone started giving you unasked-for advice about, umm, like your appearance or dressing style. Remember that no one is a fan of unsolicited advice. Got it?
The Insulter
Whether you lost your job or fell victim to a scam scheme, the insulter is going to blame it on you. For them, every bad thing that happens to you is your fault. They believe that anything that goes wrong in your life (even your debts) could have been avoided if only you had acted smartly. The best part is that these guys aren’t trying to put you down by shaming you. Rather they are trying to convince themselves that nothing bad could happen to them because they are good at everything, unlike the rest.
What to do with them? Well, there is nothing much that you can do to influence them. So, just RUN as fast as you can and don’t ever turn back!
Additional Reading: How To Manage Your Finances If You Suddenly Lose Your Job
The Smarty Pants
The ones that know it all! Haven’t you seen many of these?
Mastering money is a tough job! No one was born with all the knowledge about money. Some were taught well at a young age. While others would have learned from their mistakes. And some, well, they are still stupid! Anyway, back to the smarty pants lot, these guys think they know everything. So, if you ever contradict anything they say, they are going to get pretty aggressive and nasty. Their overconfidence is their biggest threat!
What do you do with them? Here is a simple solution – excuse yourself and get away from them. You would not want to hold a conversation with them, ever!
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The One-Up Variant
You just got a great deal on an apartment. You are so excited to tell your friends. And this one (irritating!) guy asserts that you paid too much and he had been offered a much better deal than yours. There goes your moment, down the drain! Meet the One-Upper, the braggart who can’t stand you being better than him or her. They need to be superior to you, at all times.
What to do with them? Well, there isn’t much you can do. You can never one-up these guys. So, either it is better you quickly change the topic or abruptly end the conversation and walk away.
The Moralist
Who could be a moralist in the financial world? Well, the ones who believe that Credit Cards are evil. They are the ones who want you to pay for everything (even that house worth a crore) in cash. For them, Credit Cards, debts and loans are moral flaws.
What to do with them? There is no point in having an argument with the moralists. So, let them know that they may be right about what they are saying, end the debate and move on. This is the best way to deal with the puritan lot.
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The Miser
Meet the successors of Uncle Scrooge! These people live a painfully frugal life. Sad! They are going to point their fingers at every purchase you make. Expect questions like – ‘Why are you paying for a shave when you could do it yourself?’, ‘why do you want to switch on the AC? The weather is pretty cool today’, etc. Misers hate to spend money and they are going to try and make you stop spending it too.
What to do with them? It is pretty simple to dismiss a miser. You can also try to change their thinking by convincing them that spending a little money today can save them from spending a lot later.
Now that you know the different types of money bullies, do you qualify as one? Or does your spouse, best friend or dad qualify as one? Anyway, you now know what to do when you confront a money bully, right? Just don’t be too harsh on your loved ones if they fall under any of the above type. Okay?