Engaging and innovative financial education curriculum with a focus on the psychology of money and behavioral economics helps teens with personal finances and relationships.

Independent Financial Advisors – In a world where clients must legally come first, advisers’ understanding of psychology and behavioural finance has never been more important

If you’ve ever questioned why you feel conflicted, confused or overwhelmed about money, you aren’t alone.

In a world where clients must legally come first, advisers’ understanding of psychology and behavioral finance has never been more important.

Melanie Lockert Feb 06, 2019 6 second take: Sexual and emotional dishonesty aren’t the only things that can destroy a relationship. Financial infidelity can, too. Infidelity of any kind can tarnish even the strongest relationship. It feels like the ultimate betrayal, and recovering is difficult. While many of us understand the consequences of physical or […]

The 2018 UK Workplace Stress Survey Executive Summary Work is the most common cause of stress for UK adults, with 59% experiencing it Just 9% say they ‘never’ experience work-related stress, while only 12% consider the levels of work-related stress they experience as ‘low’ One in five (21%) UK workers experience moderate to high levels […]

A national nonprofit based in San Francisco, MyPath reaches 4,000 youth each year, ages 14-24, in California, Nevada, Washington, and Missouri through more than 50 partner sites. The organization focuses on building economic pathways by integrating banking and saving into youth employment programs. A key part of MyPath’s model is to work with low-income youth […]

Social stigma plays a big role in whether people seek out financial coaching, counseling or education. Social stigma also plays a part in whether people feel good while getting financial help. Money Habitudes is often employed in a manner to help minimize or alleviate the perceived stigma, shame or embarrassment of seeking financial help. Typically, […]

The Issue: How to create a productive connection between financial coaches and coaching clients at Financial Opportunity Centers. And how to demonstrate the intricacies of a financial coaching program to funders. Who: Valerie Moffitt is a Program Manager with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in Toledo, Ohio. What: Nationally, LISC supports Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs) […]

What is financial coaching? Is it the same as financial counseling or financial planning? Are those different from financial education? It’s a pretty basic question of financial terminology, but an important one. After all, these terms – financial coaching, counseling, education and planning – are often used interchangeably. The field identification guide helps clarify what […]

The Issue: How to develop a scalable peer teaching financial literacy program that’s fun and easy enough for kids to teach other kids. Who: Amanda Christensen is an Extension Assistant Professor with Utah State University and a 4-H & Youth Programs Educator with Morgan County Extension. What: Christensen, Dave Francis, Zuri Garcia and Stacey MacArthur, […]

Financial stress is serious.  It was identified as the number one cause of stress in a 2009 study by the American Psychological Association. Financial stress is associated with increases in: suicide attempts and suicide rates physical illness divorce rates domestic violence poor cognitive decisions. (Financial stress is also associated with a decrease in productivity in […]

The Issue: How to make financial classes for women more engaging and welcoming while providing valuable skills for handling money. Who: Emily Adams is an agriculture and natural resources educator with Ohio State University Extension Service in Coshocton County. What: Adams runs Annie’s Project in Coshocton County. She also runs a follow-up financial education program […]

Do you feel like you have so much information to share that you need to make the most of every moment when you teach financial education classes? Research has shown us that how we teach may be more important than how much we teach. Here are five tips to get the most bang-for-your buck when […]

A credit board game is included in The Good Credit Game, a credit curriculum kit. The Road to Good Credit is a credit board game that helps make credit classes fun and hands-on. Teach a credit class with a credit board game The credit curriculum is divided into two major sections. The first section helps people learn […]

Building on the popularity of Money Habitudes, we’ve just released The Good Credit Game. It’s a credit curriculum kit that makes it fun and easy to teach credit classes. The Good Credit Game covers credit reports, credit scores and credit cards. A credit curriculum that’s fun to teach One of the things that financial educators […]

Money Habitudes is used by colleges and universities in to promote financial literacy for college students. It may be a student financial aid office running a financial aid workshop or using the tool in financial counseling sessions. It’s also used in a number of colleges’ peer financial counseling programs. And it’s used in residence life […]

One of the top New Year’s resolutions is always improving one’s finances. Of course, we do a lot of thinking about how people relate to money so we wanted to share a few thoughts … Be specific with your financial New Year’s resolutions. Instead of, “I want to pay off my debt this year,” restate […]

The Issue: How to add interesting, engaging content to a continuing education financial program. Who: Zona Hutson is an Extension Agent with WVU. She works in Doddridge County, West Virginia. What: WVU Extension Service teaches a recertification class for the state’s auctioneers. Hutson has been teaching the auctioneers’ course for 15 years. Money Habitudes is […]

The Issue: How to help people understand their financial attitudes and spending habits in a fun way in a financial education program. Who: Susan Routh is an Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Sciences in Grady County, Oklahoma. She also serves on the executive board of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences […]

Organizations use Money Habitudes in a variety of ways. This is an example of how the money personality tool is used in a career class. The workshop write-up is provided by Amy Mazur, a career counselor at Career Moves, a division of JCS in the Boston area.

The Issue: How to make TANF financial classes more approachable and effective. Who: Sonya McDaniel, CFLE, is an extension educator who focuses on family and consumer science in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. What: McDaniel runs a series of financial classes for the county’s TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program. A federal program through the Department […]

This financial capability grant announcement is applicable to many Money Habitudes users who are doing work in asset building. CFED, in partnership with Bank of America Charitable Foundation, is soliciting applications from organizations interested in joining an eighteen-month Intensive Learning Cluster to integrate financial capability into social service programs in the following sectors: housing workforce […]

Our Money Habitudes materials help people teach financial management to adults and teens. Because the hands-on activity is used like money management games, we’re often asked if there is a version for young kids. The Money Habitudes for Teens version is designed for high school students, typically ages 15-18. Using the cards requires that one […]

Money Habitudes is now recommended as a resource in Finance in the Classroom. Finance in the Classroom is a service of the Utah State Office of Education and the Utah Education Network. Finance in the Classroom supports Utah’s initiative to include a financial literacy course as a high school graduation requirement. The state is also […]

The Issue: How to cover finances in a series of relationship classes – but in a way that’s fun enough to feel like a date. Who: Kylee Miller is a project manager at Marriage Matters Jackson, in Jackson, Michigan. The relationship education organization is housed at the United Way and was originally supported by a […]

The Issue: How to cover finances in relationship education classes. In addition, how to attract new people and increase attendance in relationship classes. Who: Kylee Miller is a project manager at Marriage Matters Jackson, in Jackson, Michigan. The relationship education organization is housed at the United Way and was originally supported by a federal Healthy […]

The Issue: How to include personal finances in a relationship skills curriculum that stresses fun, interactive activities that lead to people really understanding and changing their behaviors. Who: Kara Shade is the Director of Adult Programs at Anthem Strong Families in Dallas, Texas. What: Anthem Strong Families provides relationship education and life skills in the […]

We talk a lot about the right way to talk about money. After all, money is one of the hardest topics for people to talk about. But, what happens when you don’t have a good interaction around money? There are bound to be upsets in any relationship. (That’s true for other flashpoints in addition to […]

The Issue: How to start a series of money classes with an engaging session that covers financial habits, attitudes and behaviors. Who: Jean Dempster and Janet Smith are Asset Development Trainers at Women, Work, and Community in Maine. Both have been teaching money management classes for more than 10 years. What: Women, Work, and Community […]

Usually when people use Money Habitudes as financial conversation starters, they stick to the usual money personality instructions. In the typical solitaire sort, people get to see their money personality for how they are today. But, of course, our financial habits and attitudes change over time. Here are a few bonus financial conversation starters you can […]

The new “Protecting the Credit of Youth in Foster Care” guide recommends using Money Habitudes.  The foster care report was prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation by Jennifer Miller and Rebecca Robuck of Childfocus. A good resource for those working with youth in foster care, the report lays out why credit is such a […]

We track and list marriage and finances statistics because they tell part of the story behind why people use Money Habitudes. After all, what marriage and finances statistics show is that money plays a big role in whether marriages are healthy or not. General themes in marriage and finances statistics One of the themes that […]

It’s important to know how to discuss money. This is true if you are discussing money with a friend, sibling, parent, partner or spouse. It’s also important for professionals like financial planners, financial educators and therapists to be able to discuss money with clients and patients. How NOT to discuss money First of all, people […]

Your spending behavior is how you regularly, almost automatically use your money. Of course, inherent in one’s spending behavior are the times when one does not spend, i.e., saving behavior. How does spending behavior develop? We all see and use money in different ways. As a result, everyone’s spending habits are a bit different. We […]

If you’re a financial educator, how can you teach a better money class? Here are some tips. Tips to teach a better money class No matter if you’re working with adults or teens, a money class should be engaging. It doesn’t have to always be laugh-out-loud fun, but it can’t be boring. Unfortunately when people […]

About a year ago, we started studying how to produce materials for low literacy audiences. (The result was our new version of award-winning Money Habitudes for Adults, released in November.) Why? We originally designed the Money Habitudes statements to be quick and easy to read. However, we didn’t anticipate how widely they’d be adopted. The […]

A few months ago, we released a new version of our Money Habitudes cards. This version is written with low-literacy financial education audiences in mind. All of the money personality statements were written at 5th-grade reading level or below. This enables them to be used with high-literacy audiences as well as low-literacy audiences. Low literacy […]

The Issue: How to offer an engaging first personal finance education class that appeals to students and partner organizations. Also, how to help attendees understand their underlying financial habits and attitudes. Who: Lindsay Ferguson is the Real$ense Prosperity Campaign program and services coordinator. Real$ense, an asset building coalition, is the Income Initiative of United Way […]

Money games for adults make learning about personal finance fun. Using adult games is a different than typical financial education classes. After all, it’s not much fun to fill out a budget worksheet. And listening to a financial lecture can be boring. That’s why so many financial educators use Money Habitudes in financial education classes. […]

Money Habitudes cards help people understand their financial habits and general money personality. Money Habitudes are the six most common money types. The activity reveals your money personality and spending habits by showing you your own unique combination of those money types. All of the Habitudes are important but overusing any one of them can […]

The Issue: How to lay a foundation for financial skills by getting students to understand the role of habits, attitudes, emotions and behaviors in their own personal finances. Who: Saundra Davis is the executive director and founder of Sage Financial Solutions, an organization dedicated to helping communities develop financial education classes and programs. She is […]

The Issue: How to train money mentors to understand how they see money – and how their clients may see money differently. Improve financial coaching. Who: Joanie Davis, Community Initiatives Director at United Way of Henry County and Martinsville. What: The United Way of Henry County and Martinsville is part of the HOPE (Helping Others […]

The Issue: How to train financial services professionals to easily understand the emotional and behavioral side of finance to better relate to financial clients. Who: Joanie Davis, Community Initiatives Director at United Way of Henry County and Martinsville. What: The United Way of Henry County and Martinsville is part of the HOPE (Helping Others Progress […]

How to talk about money? Because it’s so difficult to talk about money, people often don’t talk about it. After all, it’s often said that people find it easier to talk about sex rather than talk about money. Tips about how to talk about money One of the big challenges is that people rarely talk […]

The psychology of money can be hard to understand. Why do we spend the way we spend? Why do we save? Why might two siblings see money so differently? What do you think about money? How do you feel about money? What influences the psychology of money? Although it’s a big topic, Money Habitudes makes […]

Money personality is important, but what is it? In the same way that people have different personalities, we also all have a different money personality. We all see and relate to money in different ways. But how do you know what your money personality is? A money personality test While you may have a sense […]

The Issue: How to deliver effective budgeting and personal finance classes within healthy relationship education. Who: Deborah Gunn is the program manager for First Things First’s federally funded Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant. First Things First is an award-winning not-for-profit dedicated to strengthening families in Hamilton County, Tennessee through relationship education, collaboration and mobilization. What: Through […]

The Issue: How to get parents and kids to feel comfortable discussing financial topics in a long-term financial literacy program – and better relate to each other around the difficult topic of money. Who: Tarin L. Washington is Program Associate at The Collaborative, a private, nonprofit serving North Carolina. It is the lead agency for North […]

The Issue: How to get more people to feel comfortable attending financial literacy classes – and then to seek out financial counseling. An important component is to help people understand that improving one’s finances is often about more than just the math or doing a budget. Who: Sally Massey Wiebe is a Financial Counsellor with […]

The Issue: How to better prepare foster kids transitioning out of the foster care system; this includes financial capability , among other life skills modules. Who: Meghann Shutt, program manager for financial security at Baltimore CASH Campaign. The organization received a grant to participate in Maryland’s Ready by 21 program for foster kids. What: Geared for […]

Financial education programs can be hard to fill up. Here are some ideas to increase attendance in financial education classes: Frame it differently. Attending financial education programs can be seen as “being in trouble.” Because no one wants to be “in trouble,” people are not likely to come to a financial literacy class. So you […]

The Issue: How to get servicemembers – and their spouses – to want to attend financial education and relationship education classes and come back for more. Who: Gary Strickland, chief of the Airman and Family Readiness Center (AFRC) at Mountain Home Air Force Base. What: Mountain Home Air Force Base revolves around the 366th Fighter […]

The Issue: How to get counseling clients to talk about money issues in a constructive, nonjudgmental manner; blending financial counseling and couples counseling. Who: Ben Vos, LPC, is a therapist in Brentwood, TN. He works with individuals, couples and families. Vos has developed a specialty in substance abuse and addiction issues. Much of his couples […]

The Issue: How to effectively train financial educators and coaches about the behavioral and emotional side of personal finance so they better understand the concepts and themselves and are thus better able to help their clients and students. Who: Robin McKinney, MSW, is the director and co-founder of the Maryland CASH Campaign. A veteran of […]

The Issue: How to get participants in financial planning classes to look at how and why they spend and save. Also, how to talk about money in a fun, non-threatening and engaging way. Who: Robert Cain is an investment advisor in Scottsdale, AZ with Arque Capital Ltd. What: Cain has used Money Habitudes cards in […]

The goal of supportive housing and transitional housing programs is to provide housing. But organizations providing housing assistance often also provide financial literacy education. Why? Because people who need housing assistance typically need more than just housing assistance. With an asset building approach, transitional housing programs also teach clients how to make smarter financial choices. […]

A number of libraries offer financial literacy classes using Money Habitudes through FINRA grants and the Smart investing@your library® initiative. One such institution is the Jackson District Library, Jackson, MI. FINRA grants for financial literacy classes at libraries FINRA is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. FINRA’s Investor Education Foundation and the American Library Association (ALA) are […]

Billed as a “fun interactive way to talk about the difficult topic of money in a fun, nonjudgmental and constructive way,” this is an example of an Extension workshop based on Money Habitudes. A way to engage a new audience on career choices and financial education, this money values workshop goes beyond using Money Habitudes […]

This “Relationship with Money” workshop was geared for career and workforce development professionals. In this train-the-trainer case sponsored by Career Counselors Consortium Northeast, it is professionals who are exploring the relationship with money; many other Money Habitudes career classes reach end-user students or clients. Identifying Your Client’s Relationship with Money Title: Money Habitudes: Identifying Your […]

This marriage education program in Melbourne, Australia uses Money Habitudes cards. Put on by CatholicCare, it highlights the importance that money plays in couples’ relationships. Talking about money in a marriage education program This class shares some similarities with other marriage and relationship classes that use Money Habitudes cards. For therapists and marriage and relationship […]

In order to show how organizations really use Money Habitudes cards in employee benefits workshops, here’s an example of a financial seminar for university employees, at West Virginia University. Many Money Habitudes financial education classes are taught by Extension educators. For financial educators, there are a number of case studies that highlight how Money Habitudes […]

In order to show how organizations really use Money Habitudes cards in financial workshops, here’s an example of an upcoming financial seminar in Bloomington, Illinois. It’s taught by an Extension educator and will be conducted at a bank. For financial educators, there are a number of case studies that highlight how Money Habitudes is being […]

We just won an Excellence in Financial Literacy Education Award (EIFLE) for our financial literacy curriculum. The awards are given by the Institute for Financial Literacy. Awards were presented at the Annual Conference on Financial Education. Money Habitudes Financial Literacy Curriculum: Overview Our financial literacy curriculum for teens is Money Habitudes: How to be Rich […]

We’ve been posting some examples of how Money Habitudes users actually use the financial cards in workshops,  financial planning seminars, counseling sessions, etc. This is an example of a Financial Lifestyle Planning Workshop in Tampa, FL. The  financial planning seminar, Financial Lifestyle Planning Workshop: Will I Be OK?, will be conduced by Holly P. Thomas. Thomas […]

The issue: How to build trust with supportive housing and transitional housing clients and help them better understand their spending habits; how to make positive behavior changes. Make financial education classes more engaging and relevant – especially because they aren’t mandatory for supportive and transitional housing clients. Who: Donna Stallings, Case Manager and VIDA Coordinator […]

The Issue: How to get single teen parents to better understand money messages and financial wants and needs in an engaging atmosphere. Who: Rebecca Phipps, LPC, professional counselor and coordinator of the Between Us program at Catholic Charities Oregon. It operates under the national Healthy Marriage Initiative. What: Phipps teaches life skills and financial literacy […]

When it comes to understanding spending habits, people often forget that they are just that: spending habits. What is a habit? an acquired behavior pattern that is followed regularly so that it is almost involuntary Examples of spending habits Spending habits are often contextual. You spend the same way with the same set of conditions. […]

Like other colleges, Texas Tech understands that it’s important to introduce people to personal finance early in their lives. And Texas Tech also understands that it’s important to make personal finance fun, approachable and relevant. College Financial Education Week Red to Black is an outreach initiative of Texas Tech’s Personal Financial Planning group. This year […]

Here’s a real money personality type assessment using the Money Habitudes card sorting process: That’s me (statements that describe my money personality type) Targeted Goals 9 Selfless 4 Security 2 Status 1 Free Spirit 0 Spontaneous 0 sub-total 16 That’s not me (statements that do not describe my money personality type) Free Spirit 8 Spontaneous […]

Here’s a real example of how a community college is developing a financial education workshop. It’s based on using Money Habitudes cards: Harper’s Money Smart Week presents: Money Habitudes for Students When:Tuesday, April 24, 2012 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Cost: FREE Money Habitudes is a fun and easy way to discover the role money […]

Financial literacy may not be a graduation requirement at a university, college or community college. However, it is important that students have real financial capability. Why does personal financial literacy matter for university and community college students? According to the 2008 Jump$tart Coalition personal financial literacy survey, funded by Merrill Lynch Foundation, high school seniors […]

Prisoner reentry programs often include personal financial education within a variety of other life skills classes. This may be in prisons, jails or community programs. They may include money management in a variety of ways, but the rationale is much the same: Why prisoner reentry programs include personal financial education: With most offender reentry programs, […]

Who: Leslie Tomlinson with Student Support Services at Northwest-Shoals Community College in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. What: As part of the college’s Student Support Services grant through the US Department of Education’s TRIO program, the program must offer a variety of seminars to all recipients. One of these requirements is personal economic literacy. Who: Located on […]

Couples often find themselves engaged in a money fight. To this end, fighting about money comes up in two recent surveys: Yahoo! Finance Financially Fit Survey from Yahoo! and Fitness Magazine (November 2011) YourTango.com Survey Both reassert what we already know: often couples fight about money. Further, it’s difficult for couples to talk about money. […]

There are a variety of personality tests and inventories that are used in marriage and relationship education. A popular one is Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages. As the book explains: As people come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes, so do their choices of personal expressions of love. But more often than not, the giver […]

Who: Ronald Brewer, Director of Education, People of Principle, based in Midland, TX. What: Marriages are subject to a variety of stresses. Few are greater than having one spouse incarcerated. It is in this prison environment that People of Principle works to strengthen marriages. Operating under a federal grant for Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible […]

Many financial articles begin, “Start by talking about money with your spouse, partner or fiancé.” Much of the advice from financial professionals also begins this way. It may be, “You should talk about money and then … make a budget.” enroll in a debt management course.” take the following steps to work on your family’s […]

Money management games help people learn better ways to spend and save. Popular money management games include the Stock Market Game and a variety of offerings developed by Cooperative Extension (such as the Allowance Game). Yet, personal finance is often taught not with interactive games and relevant scenarios. Instead, many classes and seminars that teach […]

Having already covered financial education classes and career workshops, this post addresses how Money Habitudes is used in a marriage or relationship class on finances. The example is drawn from a relationship class about money, done by the Portland Relationship Center in Oregon. (A similar, shorter Money Habitudes-based relationship class happened to be posted online […]

I just posted that Money Habitudes cards are used all the time in a variety of financial education seminars, job classes and the like. Well, here’s a good example of a career workshop using Money Habitudes. In this case, it’s a career seminar called “Money Habitudes: A Workshop for Identifying How Money Affects Career Decision, […]

This is a common example of how community organizations use Money Habitudes cards in their financial education classes. Although we often hear about such financial education classes, in many cases, they are never posted online and we’re not aware of them. There’s probably someone running a financial capability class every day somewhere using Money Habitudes. […]

The American Psychological Association (APA) just released its report: Stress in America: Our Health At Risk. Of course, the number one cause of stress is money. What’s Causing Stress in America? The APA stress report finds sources of stress are: money stress (75 percent) work stress (70 percent) economic stress (67 percent) stress from relationships […]

What is your Money Personality Type There are a number of money personality types and money psychology personality tests that exist. All speak to the psychology of money, recognizing that our spending and saving often has a habits, attitudes, emotions and values component, rather than simply a logical and rational one. Money is an emotional […]

Want a divorce? Why couples get divorced? There are a lot of reasons for divorce. However, studies show the most common reason why a husband and wife fight, go to marriage counseling and end a marriage is money. According to PayPal’s third annual “Can’t Buy Me Love” survey, the top reasons why couples fight are: […]

Financial education, boring classes and ice breakers Both students and teachers know that it’s often hard to make money and finances interesting. And financial education classes suffer from low turnout or enrollment. Even when participants show up,  they often come away thinking that the material was boring or at least not fun. Customized cheap sex dolls […]

Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s a recognition of the role of money in marriage. We see an increasing number of Catholic archdioceses, dioceses and parishes including instruction on finances in their marriage prep or Pre-Cana classes. It’s not surprising. After all, money is the number one cause of arguments among couples (more than chores […]

The latest issue of the Financial Therapy Association’s Journal of Financial Therapy just came out. The association and journal are concerned with the link between personal financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and personal and family well-being. The assimilation speaks to the: financial planner, financial educator, therapist, financial manager, financial therapist, money coach, etc. Two new articles of note: THE FINANCIAL CREDIT PROFILE OF […]

Just heard about Tweet What You Spend on the radio. While it’s not what I thought it was originally, it does address a real issue: cash tracking. (Granted, if you’re going to pull out your phone and open Twitter and then type in a note about what you’ve spent, it’s probably just as easy to use […]

Ramit Sethi uses some of Carl Richards’s simple economics diagrams to illustrate the psychology of investing and why it’s hard to get ahead of the cycle as he looks at Buying High and Selling Low. It’s amazing how powerful “napkin sketches” can be when done by someone who can explain them. Of course, this is part of a larger […]

The holiday shopping season recently past, this article in the Vancouver Sun offers some insight into the beast that is gift giving. We all have different philosophies on giving gifts. Some may not give at all. Some may give lavishly. Some may give to gain influence or so they will be accepted by others (what […]

Where: Immaculate Heart Academy, a Catholic college prep high school in Washington, NJ What: Piloted Money Habitudes cards in psychology and finance classes Who: Stephanie Licata, campus minister Mary Liz Fuhrman, guidance counselor and psychology teacher Students: primarily seniors Why: In the psychology class the cards kicked off a unit on stress. In the finance class […]

This is a topic that seems to get revisited every year around Black Friday and the holiday shopping season: Can money buy happiness? This recent iteration from The Oklahoman has Bill Sones and Rich Sones writing that: While it’s true the wealthy are happier than the poor and wealthy countries are happier than poor ones, […]

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) is really well respected in the field of unbanked and underbanked financial services. An interesting quote in advance of the meeting that highlights the role of habits and attitudes in relation to serving underserved financial populations: “During the Underbanked Experience, Exchange participants will put themselves in the shoes […]

In her “Top 9 Money Questions to Ask Your Partner Before You Get Married,” Maria Lin (@marialinnyc) says: “Before marriage, all kinds of lovely conversations ensue: How many kids? What should we name them, Jayden or Hayden or Payden? Where should we live, Paris or Wyoming or Sao Paolo? Beach house or woodsy cottage? Dog […]

Findings from Bank On It: Thrifty  Couples Are The  Happiest: Newlywed couples who take on substantial consumer debt become less happy in their marriages over time. By contrast, newlywed couples who paid off any consumer debt they brought into their marriage or acquired early in their marriage had lower declines in their marital quality over […]

From the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy … Scholars at Brigham Young University studied 1,734 married couples across the United States. Each couple completed a relationship evaluation, part of which asked how much they value “having money and lots of things.” The researchers’ statistical analysis showed that couples who say money is not important […]

In this article, Nancy Anderson, a Forbes contributor, identifies the “5 Financial Mistakes That Ruin Your Marriage” as: Materialism – valuing “things” or money over the relationship. Having conflicting money values. Adopting traditional roles when they don’t fit. Having opposing money styles. (It is not uncommon to see financial opposites attract one another.  Couples often have […]

Dr. Nando Pelusi, contributing editor to Psychology Today magazine and a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice inNew York City, continues with this November series on what’s trending in therapy. This week: money, politics, and couples. An interesting discussion about how the economy reveals implicit assumptions about money between couples.

A TED talk with behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman on “Experience vs. memory” On a related note, this recent story, “Behavioral Economics Foils an Obama Tax Cut?” from Bloomberg BusinessWeek mentions an early experiemtn done by Kahneman and Amos Tversky: They presented people with a scenario: As you enter a theater, you realize you have lost […]

From ESPN.com, Tom Haberstroh’s “The predictably irrational NBA lockout” takes a look at how emotions around money come into play in basketball as seen in the NBA lockout… Ariely interpreted this phenomenon as an example of the endowment effect, an imperfection of the human mind that causes people to believe the things they possess are worth more […]

We use six Money Habitude types (in a fun and easy-to-use hands-on card game format) to help people better understand how they relate to money and to better comprehend the role it plays in their lives (and the lives of those around them), but some other systems use different personality typing methodologies. Scott and Bethany […]

Jenna Goudreau (@Jenna_Goudreau) presents a “Financial Checklist Before Getting Married” in Forbes. “Finances have long been a trouble area in marriage,” says Julie Murphy Casserly, author of The Emotion Behind Money, “and the current economic crisis is stretching even more people to the emotional breaking point.” In fact, in a pioneering survey conducted last year, […]

Writing in “The Anti-Gladwell: Kahneman’s New Way to Think About Thinking” in The Atlantic, Maria Popova (@brainpicker) calls psychologist (and Nobel laureate and founding father of modern behavioral economics) Daniel Kahneman “one of the most influential thinkers of our time … his work has shaped how we think about human error, risk, judgement, decision-making, happiness, […]

In a not-subtle article in MarketMatch, Paul B. Farrell, asserts that: Financial-literacy programs are getting popular again. Warning: They don’t work. Maybe for 7% of us. But for the rest of Americans, they are a big waste of your time, and your money. There may be some truth in financial literacy programs aren’t as effective […]

This article about a three-part series about financial issues specifically geared toward women (with a focus on how our beliefs impact our decisions) speaks to a number of financial planners and therapists who use Money Habitudes to combine psychology and money in engaging, interactive, low-risk presentations and community workshops for groups. We now see more […]

As if there was any doubt that the intersection of money and relationships is and emotional one, this article lists some sad but somewhat funny anecdotes about money and divorce settlements as related by divorced writers. They reveal which treasured mementos they salvaged from their broken marriages… As if the emotional pain is not enough, […]

Hard to ignore advice from behavioral economist Dan Ariely: When it comes to making decisions, using emotions is likely to be unsuccessful or lead us astray …

In a recent post on Forbes, contributor Doug Hirschhorn (@DougHirschhorn), who uses sport psychology to coach elite traders on Wall Street, posits that thinking like a woman may give you an edge in trading. Hirschborn says: I believe women, in many ways, are able to be very successful in occupations that involve the combination of […]

Something we hear an awful lot from therapists and couples is echoed in this post for a lecture by Aaron Kipnis, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Santa Monica, CA: Money is a subject often more taboo than sex, religion or political affiliation. The myriad money complexes both clients and therapists bring to the consulting room […]

Some interesting news as of late in the unbanked and underbanked world: Arjan Schutte (@arjanschutte) of Core Innovation Capital and CFSI estimate: people who don’t rely on banks for their financial needs spend $45 billion in fees and interest, alone.  This is for services such as check cashing, remittances, rent-to-own, title lending, prepaid cards, walk-in […]

Not really a surprise to see this headline out of Ireland, but interesting to see the global reach of money issues in marriage: Money worries biggest cause of marital distress: Stress: Families feel pressure of rising bills THE majority of struggling relationships are under pressure due to financial concerns, new research has uncovered. Counselling service […]

After the 72-day marriage ended in divorce, celebrity watchers are speculating about whether Kim Kardashian’s wedding to Kris Humphries, was a made-for TV hoax. Yet the marriage-and-divorce coverage still highlights an issue common to less grandiose weddings: not really knowing your fiancé(e) before getting married and avoiding talking about money before entering into a bond […]

A new article by personal finance expert Erica Sandberg talks about “Six Money Tips For Late-in-Life Divorces.”  Tips for exiting an extended marriage include: Employ a lawyer, judiciously. Create a “Now I’m single” budget. Prepare for merged debt. Plan to spend your settlement carefully. Be house smart. Discuss your finances with trusted loved ones. Not […]

The initial GOHFLI results demonstrate that the hypothesized link between student success outcomes and financial literacy is a strong one and leaders must work to strengthen all the elements of a student’s success: hope, engagement, wellbeing, and financial literacy. Ten additional questions were added to the Gallup Student Poll in October 2010 that specifically helped […]

There were about 40 other exhibitors at the Jump$tart National Educator Conference in DC this weekend. Many were old faces, such as Advantage Publications, which makes the popular financial calculators. A few newer folks included: Moonjar, with a neat habit-inducing product to teach kids to save, spend and share; Lucas Remmerswaal’s 13 Habits that underline […]

A few more thoughts from the third annual Jump$tart National Educator Conference … I sat in on a workshop session about high school financial education tips, which featured a few programs and presenters – and a very full room of teachers. Lekeshia Frasure from FDIC presented the agency’s Money Smart curriculum. A comprehensive program, it […]

Just back from exhibiting at the third annual Jump$tart National Educator Conference in Washington, DC. The event was attended by a few hundred teachers from all but six of the United States (Alaska and Hawaii one can understand, but Georgia didn’t make it?). It was sponsored by Experian and Wells Fargo Foundation and offered in […]

A good recent article (in which Syble is quoted) this month in Delaware Moms magazine says that: The most common mistake parents make with money and their kids is not communicating honestly about finances. This can run the gamut from completely avoiding discussions about money, budgets and financial decision-making, to communicating incompletely about the topic. […]

Money is not a topic we like talking about. Many people say they find it easier to discuss sex. It’s a topic tied up in a lot of emotions. How we relate to money is often tied to other big, hut-button issues like self-esteem, independence, success, love, generosity, stability, etc. In addition to being a […]

Who: Kelly Chicas, a Board Certified, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (at Albuquerque Family Counseling) and Lisa Johnson, PhD, LMFT in Albuquerque, New Mexico Situation: Workshops for community agencies and general audiences to provide educational information and introduce therapists in a non-threatening setting. What: “The Wealth Within: Mastering Your Money Personality” was held at the University […]

Teaching financial literacy classes can be difficult. Talking about money intimates people and they often wait until hardship strikes before seeking help. Therefore, financial educator Nancy Reigelsperger knows she needs to make her financial literacy classes not only practical, but non-threatening and enjoyable as well. It’s especially important to hook younger people, but working with […]

Contact: Erica Brown, a community readiness technician at Shaw Air Force Base Airman and Family Readiness Center (AFRC) Situation: A financial education class to reach young airmen on their own turf, in the dorms. The workshops in the barracks would eliminate much of the embarrassment and discomfort that airmen perceived around going to the AFRC. […]

Contact: Carol Allison, Financial Program Manager, Naval Support Facility (NSF) Dahlgren/The Navy’s Command Financial Specialist (CFS) program Situation: Use Money Habitudes cards in preparing Navy Command Financial Specialist Counselors to be financial first responders to their colleagues Who: Command Financial Specialists are specially trained service members who act as financial peer counselors to complement the […]

Contact: Kent Thompson, Financial Program Manager with Army Community Service, Camp Ederle, U.S. Army Garrison, Vicenza, Italy Situation: A comprehensive, six-hour course for couples intending to divorce called Military + Divorce created by the Association of Financial Counseling, Planning and Education (AFCPE). Classes ranged from one to five couples and are intended to provide the […]

Contact: Madeleine Greene, Personal Financial Counselor, Contractor for the Department of Defense. Greene worked as a financial counselor and educator for Cooperative Extension Service through the University of Maryland for more than 15 years. Situation: Financial education workshops on military bases in the greater Washington, DC area and at military installations across the country. The […]

Financial education classes often neglect communication skills and focus solely on the mechanics of budgeting, expense tracking, etc. But Lori Scharmer, a family economics educator, finds great value in helping couples communicate about money. If they aren’t comfortable talking about their finances, managing them will difficult. In her standard couples’ finance class, she uses Money […]

Contact: Kent Thompson, Army Financial Program Manager, Army Community Service (ACS), Camp Ederle in Vicenza, Italy Situation: Financial education classes without funding to attract soldiers to a class by offering pizza or other food. Who: Soldiers who are generally unwilling and uninterested but are told that they have attend a financial education class and soldiers […]

Contact: Beverly Mercer, court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, Waco, Texas Situation: The State of Texas mandates that any Texan who files for bankruptcy must attend a bankruptcy class which teaches them how to avoid bankruptcy in the future.  Mercer teaches 3-5 classes per month, each with 15-30 people who have filed for bankruptcy. Mercer also has the […]

Contacts: Valerie Conzett, director of the Family Life Office in the Archdiocese of Omaha, and Sr. Virginia West, a marriage and family therapist at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Winter Park, FL. Situation: Catholic churches and dioceses use Money Habitudes in marriage preparation programs to help people better understand themselves and their partners when […]

Contact: Tony Owings, Certified Financial Planner, A.R. Owings Financial Strategies, an independent firm that works mostly on a fee-on-assets-under-management and offers securities through Raymond James Financial Services Situation: It’s important for financial planners to understand their clients, including how they see and use money and what is happening in their lives.  Owings uses the Money […]

Contact: Alan Frank is a financial educator and planner, serving as Financial Services Lead Instructor at Bow Valley College in Calgary, Canada Situation: Teaching college students who are studying to become financial planners and clients who attend the classes and workshops he offers. Who: College students, adults attending financial education or planning classes and private […]

Teenagers like to interact with each other rather than sit still for lectures. Playing to this tendency, Joyce Bartels-Daal uses Money Habitudes as the basis for a money-based life skills class. Students enthusiastically dive into the activity and need little oversight. They also discover how to be better with money and how to talk about […]

Instead of sleep-inducing PowerPoint slides and a lecture, Belinda Pfeiffer, a family and consumer sciences educator, uses Money Habitudes for Teens to connect with teenagers in schools and youth groups. When using Money Habitudes with homebuyer/homeowner classes and with senior citizens, the cards help put people at ease, get them to open up, participate and […]

One of the great friction points in marriages is money. Although people do not want to talk about it, they do want to be able to deal with it effectively. To help people introduce the difficult topic, talk about it and better understand one another in a marriage, Erica Brown used Money Habitudes as a […]

In working to build and sustain healthy relationships, Stronger Families knows that money plays a crucial role. Therefore, the organization includes a module on money and communication – using Money Habitudes cards – in its hallmark relationship program, which largely serves the military and marriage mentors in churches. Stronger Families is a non-profit that provides […]

Contact: Kelly Chicas, a Board Certified, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Albuquerque Family Counseling, Albuquerque, New Mexico Situation: Private counseling sessions Who: Individual clients and couples seeking relationship counseling. What: Use Money Habitudes cards as a tool to draw clients into conversations about the sensitive topic of money when money is identified as an issue and […]

Contact: Steven Shagrin, CFP, has a law degree and started his career in finance as a tax accountant before spending twenty years as vice president for investments with Smith-Barney and Pain Webber.  As one of the pioneers of the life planning approach to financial planning, he started his own company, Planning for Life,  to reflect […]