Money Talks: Exploring Women’s Relationship with Money – Featuring: Jennifer Smith Tapp

At DyMynd we focus on a woman’s relationship with money to break down the barrier for financial empowerment. Money has culturally been a taboo subject and we have found that women are told not to talk about it in public. This leads women to feel uncomfortable about their finances and uneasy to share their stories and experiences.
 
This year it is important that we breakdown these barriers so that we can all rise and stand together. DyMynd wants to bust the myth that “money isn’t for women” and help women forge new relationships with their money messages and experiences. 
 
In honor of Women’s Month, we have asked leading women to answer a few questions about their experiences with money. Today we are featuring Jennifer Smith Tapp, Director, Editorial and Brand Strategy at Chicago Woman Magazine, to share insights into her relationship with money. We invite you to read her responses and hope you get inspired and empowered to strengthen your own financial relationships.

What were your first experiences with money?

My first experiences with money were in the form of gifts or visits from the tooth fairy! It was then that I realized that money was something to be desired and it allowed me to have things that I wanted.


What were the key messages around money that your family instilled in you?

The primary message concerning money in my house was that it was something that had to be earned- either as a reward for good grades or through completion of chores around the house to earn a weekly allowance. In my family, money was rarely something that was given on-demand.


What is your current relationship with money like?

I would say that my relationship with money is sort of like the one who got away! Having a teenage daughter means that there is never enough money to be had and it is a source of anxiety, especially as college looms on the horizon. But I also see it as something that allows for the pleasurable things in life, such as travel or a great meal now and then. Experiences are more important to me than material things, and money helps make a lot of that happen.