Erika Jones, CFO of CCTA, argues that financial security is the foundation for healthy relationships. Using Maslow's hierarchy, she explains how unmet basic needs force people to prioritize survival over connection, straining relationships. Once money covers food, shelter, and safety, people can focus on love and belonging.
One very interesting thing is I'm writing this book on personal finance. One of the most common consequences is marriage, relationships. And what my conclusion is, is based upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the foundational levels are physiological, food, water, breathing, sleep. Then right after that is safety needs, protection from environments, bad weather, and so forth. Well, what facilitates safety and physiological needs is money. I need money to acquire food, to have a roof over my head. When that's compromised, some of those elements are getting compromised. The next levels up are belonging, that's our relationships and so forth. Those things are secondary to those needs. So when money isn't available, we go to this foundation of needs and we start ignoring or harming our relationships. But once you have enough money and you can properly address physiological and safety needs, then we can elevate to the needs we have of belonging, connection, love, and so forth.
