Money can be an awkward subject to talk about, even with friends and family. In some cases, however, it does come up and different people handle it differently.

What would you do if you were in a strong financial position, but anytime money came up in conversation, your wife always tried to make it look like you were really struggling? She continued to do this even though you told her that it made you uncomfortable.

That is the situation that the husband in this story is in, so he told her that if she did it again, he would reveal that they are actually millionaires, showing that she is lying. She got upset and said that he was boasting and making them look bad.

AITA for revealing our net worth when my wife constantly says we are broke and making me look bad with money?

I (31M) have been with my wife (30F) for 10 years now and she always has had this habit of making me look bad with our finances.

I can imagine how this would be embarrassing. The fact that they are doing so well makes it even worse.

Whenever anything regarding spending money comes up she will always say how broke we are and she doesn’t have the money to do this or buy that. The thing is we are doing well financially. We have decent jobs and combine our salary is roughly $125k/yr.

As of today our net worth is more than $1 million but less than 2. I had saved/invested a lot before getting married, so I gave us a good head start.

Maybe his wife just tells people this so that they don’t pressure them to spend (or give away) more money.

I control the finances/take the lead but we both agreed to living a very modest life. We both have our cars from college for example (Honda & Toyota).

She knows everything about our finances because at least once a month I go over it with her every time I deposit money in our investment accounts or our kids college funds.

They really are in a good position financially. He is clearly very responsible with money.

For banking we have an emergency fund and I budget everything else to go straight into investments. We basically stay right at $10k in our banks savings account and $500 in our checking account after bills.

Most of the time there is more than $500 in our checking but once I pay our CC each month I then move anything extra. We always use the CC so its not like we only have $500 to spend. Our CC limit is $25,000.

It really seems like she just doesn’t want people to know how well off they are.

A few months ago we had dinner with her friends and they talked buying a new car. My wife said something like, ‘I wish I could get a new car but I’m always broke after paying the bills. We still have our college cars!’ (Wife does not want a new car).

She will go on to talk about if she had money what she would want to buy and it always makes me feel ashamed. This ‘I’m broke story’ has been happening for years.

So, it seems like she really thinks they don’t have the money. It is good that he is willing to adjust their budget, though.

When we were driving home I asked her about. She understood we have the money but its how she feels because her bank account is always low. I said I can increase our budget or keep more money in our bank if she wants.

Since we are doing well I’m okay with spending more. She said no and again was happy with our finances. I explained that when she says we are broke it makes me look bad and I feel ashamed. Its as though I can’t provide for the family and/or I am bad with money. She doesn’t see it that way.

He is making it very clear that he doesn’t like it when she does this type of thing.

The same conversation has come up numerous times about us being broke. Recently, I reminded her numerous tikes it makes me feel and look bad in front of friends and family.

I told her if she keeps saying stuff like that I will reveal that we are doing well with money. I gave her a few reminders I’d eventually do this but she kept going with the I’m broke story.

Honestly, it is pretty weird that they talk about money this much at all. It seems like she is forcing it into the conversation, but he is putting a stop to that.

At a dinner with her sister and parents the same I’m broke story came up. I piped in and said, ‘It’s weird to hear a millionaire say they are broke.’

My wife said, ‘Haha, I’m not though.’ And I quickly say, ‘We are millionaires and you know that. We go over our finances every month.’

She just isn’t letting this lie about being poor end.

Well the I’m broke story stopped after that and the night went on as usual. A little later the same thing happens with her friends and I use the same line.

Now my wife is mad at me for using that line and revealing roughly how much money we have. She said it seems like I’m gloating.

He wouldn’t have to tell anyone anything about money if she didn’t keep lying about their situation.

I say its better than making me look like I’m running us into the ground finically.

So, am I wrong for revealing our net worth when my wife says we are broke?

AITA?

I agree that it is awkward that he tells people about their finances, but she really has left them no choice. I can’t imagine why either of them want to talk about money so much with friends and family. Hopefully they can get on the same page with it.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a woman who is ready to file for divorce after she found out her husband drained their savings to buy an old car.

Read on to see what the people in the comments have to say about this unusual story.

I agree with this commenter. Hopefully this couple can get to the bottom of their issues.

At the end of the day, this is a problem with their communication techniques, not a money problem. They should fix these issues as soon as possible.

I am curious to hear why she downplays it as well. These two really need to get on the same page.

Here is someone who says that neither of them should be talking about money with friends or family. I definitely agree, but if she won’t stop doing it, what choice does he have?

This commenter says that they are both acting poorly. Honestly, though, he addressed her car and account, so what more can he do?

They are both acting poorly here, but they really need to get on the same page with money. Money fights are one of the most common causes of divorce. It is much better to have a discussion about this now than to let the problems keep building up.