We try to impress others

I often think about a young, not yet rich real estate agent who told me homeowners wouldn’t think her successful unless she had a flash set of wheels. Really? I have no idea what cars the local real estate agents drive and it has no bearing on whether I think they’re good at selling.

We don’t save for property

A young person said to me recently: “our generation won’t be able to buy property”. This is received wisdom. More than a quarter of people getting mortgages are first-home buyers. If you assume it’s impossible you won’t start.

I suffered from a very similar delusion when I was younger. It was assumed you’d get married then buy a house. So I didn’t think about buying when I was a single woman and lost a number of years before getting on the property ladder.

Likewise if you grew up in a state house or private rental, you may not have seen buying a home as the

We think a man is a financial plan

Sadly there are still too many women who leave everything to their husbands. This can really come back to bite in many ways. If that man is useless with money, there’s a problem for your long-term financial future. Or if he’s devious and spends or hides the money just before separating. Societal norms of women chasing men with money and men controlling women with money and a host of others still exist.

How much we gift

Do you worry about the amount you should spend on a gift rather than simply choosing the right gift for the person? I’m also interested about public displays of charitable gifting. Giving is good, but it’s not about keeping up with the Joneses.

Some or all of these behaviours might be right for you. But only if you’ve analysed them and made a conscious decision.