Totally taboo: Just 42% of Aussie families talk about money in the home
Aussie families are often reluctant to talk about money in the home, according to new research by Finder.
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A Finder survey of 1,030 respondents found just 42% of Australians say they grew up in a family where money was discussed openly.
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That leaves 58% of households where money topics were avoided.
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The research found those with a mortgage (42%) or those with a household income above $150K (44%) were not more likely to discuss finances growing up.
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Sarah Megginson, personal finance expert at Finder, said discussing finances still isn't commonplace in Aussie households – but it's one of the most powerful ways to increase your child's financial literacy.
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"Some people find it hard to talk about money because they find it uncomfortable, while others have their head in the sand when it comes to finances.
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"This silence surrounding money conversations is contributing to a cycle where younger generations inherit poor financial habits, simply because they've never had the chance to discuss them openly.
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"Millions of Australians have not talked to their children about their wealth, budgeting or financial habits, and some never will."
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Megginson said families were often reluctant to talk about money due to shame, being unsure what is appropriate to share, or beliefs that money isn't 'something you talk about'.
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"If families aren't talking about money, they're missing out on opportunities to build financial literacy and avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.
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"You don't know what you don't know, and having open and honest conversations helps encourage new ideas and allows the burden of managing the household budget to be shared."
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Interestingly, more women (45%) said money was openly discussed when they were growing up, compared to men (39%).
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Megginson said many Aussies can't count on the financial advice they get from their parents so it's always best to do your own research.
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"Start by exploring topics like budgeting and saving – then once you have that foundation you can progress to topics like investing and wealth building."
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Did you grow up in a family where money was discussed openly?
| Yes | 42% |
| No | 58% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,030 respondents, February 2025 |  |
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Sources
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,030 respondents from February 2025.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.
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