Who's The Expert Here?

[Jenifer Madson]

My father and stepmother recently visited, and while eating one night, Dad asked me which credit card companies gave the best member benefits, like frequent flyer miles or cash-back options. When I told him I had no idea, he said, 'Well aren't you the financial expert here?'

His response didn't offend me, because some people see "Financial" attached to my title, and automatically assume I know everything there is to know about money. What's curious is how it negatively affects us to be that assumptive. Dad was a little put off that I didn't have his answer, which may delay him in pursuing the subject further. Maybe a better starting question would have gotten him to his answer more quickly. Instead of asking 'What do you know about...,' a better question may have been 'Where would I go to find out about....'

Take A Minute:
Are you asking the right questions to get you where you want to go?

Make A Minute:
Identify something you need to know financially, and create a question that gives you the best opportunity to find your answer.

Expert questioning is a skill that's easy to develop. Just keep yourself in curiosity mode by being open to more than one source for your answers, and those answers will come.