Financial disparities in friendships can create conflict where it shouldn’t exist. Here’s how two friends navigated a growing wealth gap. Adult friendships aren’t easy to maintain.
Busy schedules and competing demands interfere with making time for friends. And when money is involved, friendships can become even more complicated. Simple activities, like going out to dinner or getting drinks, can quickly turn awkward.
Bigger decisions, such as sharing an apartment or taking a joint vacation, are even more fraught, especially when one friend has deeper pockets than the other. “Money brings up a lot,” said Aja Evans, a financial therapist and the author of Feel-Good Finance . “It brings up a fear of being misunderstood, rejected and judged.
” Financial disparities in friendships can create an unease where one shouldn’t exist, especially when people conflate their net worth with their self-worth..
