Ask someone how they’re doing financially and watch what happens. The pause before the answer. The slight shift in posture. The decision — usually in under a second — about how much to reveal and to whom.Money carries a story people tell about themselves. Whether they’re competent, responsible, secure. Whether they belong in certain conversations, deserve certain things, are the kind of person who has their finances under control. The emotional stakes of that story are high enough that most people will avoid an honest financial conversation with their closest friends before they’ll have it casually with a colleague.And yet the products built to help people manage that story — the apps, the platforms, the onboarding flows, the error messages — are built without any examination of what the language in them is doing to the person on the other side. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com/subscribe

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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