This is Molly Fulanswers. I'm Allison Southwick and I'm joined as always by Robert Brokamp,

personal finance expert and financial advisor. What's your designation again?

I'm a certified financial planner practitioner. How's that?

So that sounds... It's kind of impressive. I'm kind of a big deal. I am impressed.

Thank you. Ah, the holidays. It's a great opportunity to eat too much, drink too much, and have

awkward conversations with family members. But those conversations can be important and productive. So today

we're going to give you five conversation starters that will help you and your family members to get on better footing financially. Again,

these could be painful, but at least more productive than sitting through your uncle's

bourbon-fueled rants about, well, everything. We're also going to go on the hunt for

holiday traditions we can steal from other families. All that and more on this week's

episode of Motley Fool Answers. The holidays are upon us. I know this. I know this because

Starbucks tells me. That's how you know when the holidays are around is when you can look

at their menu or go into a store and there's just red stuff everywhere. It's very exciting.

So if you're

like us, you'll be traveling many miles to spend time with family, watching football games,

no one cares about, and eating nut-covered cheese balls. It's a fun time for everyone.

And when you're tired talking about religion, sex, and politics with your family, there's

even more awkward conversations you can have about

money. They're more important and probably less scarring.

Well, I don't know, because it could involve death, and that could be scarring.

Oh no, these conversations are definitely going to involve death.

Yeah.

...