Not deciding – is making a decision -to do nothing. Sometimes it is because we have way too many choices. According to Statista we have 8,970 mutual funds from which to choose. It can be overwhelming! Sometimes we fear we’ll regret the choice we made. This is called Regret Aversion and is a common human… Continue reading Why You Avoid Money Decisions
Category: Money Psychology
Cash in the High Stakes Moment
My husband commented that I should check my tires since one in particular seemed a little deflated. I never look at my tires -never thought to – unless of course one goes flat on the way to a really important meeting while I’m in my best suit. Then I’d notice. The mundane chore was fit… Continue reading Cash in the High Stakes Moment
Dishing on Couple’s Money with Mrs. & Mr. Tomato
Thanks to Cheryl and Stu Benton for willingly ‘baring all’ on their money beliefs, and how they found common ground as a couple. Here is their story. If you’ve ever talked with Cheryl, her intelligence is evident. She had the guts to build an ad agency which was purchased by a larger company, and then… Continue reading Dishing on Couple’s Money with Mrs. & Mr. Tomato
Use Your Mind to Increase Savings by 73%
Have you ever really, really wanted something but then sloughed it off because the likelihood of saving the money to achieve it was super low? You may have just thrown away the possible. How could I know this? For two reasons: research and client experience. In a recent interview with Jill Cornfield of NBC Universal, we discussed… Continue reading Use Your Mind to Increase Savings by 73%
The Shopaholic and The Fallout Part 4
This is Part 4 of Fighting the Shopaholic in You. Eventually, regardless of our reason for shopping ‘til we drop time and time again, we are forced to face the clean up. The emotional aftermath. The financial mess. Call it what you will. Here are some examples of situations that eventually catch up with a… Continue reading The Shopaholic and The Fallout Part 4
6 Questions to Slow a Shopaholic Part 5
These tips are taken from “To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Over Shop and How to Stop” by April Lane Benson, PhD (2008) as published in Adrian Furnham’s most recent book “The New Psychology of Money”. The trick to changing a behavior is to understand why you are doing it, notice when you… Continue reading 6 Questions to Slow a Shopaholic Part 5
Expecting Money is better than Receiving Money
Yes, believe it or not. Our brains get more excited about the money we expect to get – from a bonus, a lottery, a promotion – than when we actually receive it. How many times do you spend that expected reward in your head? A little goes here, a little goes there, some goes in… Continue reading Expecting Money is better than Receiving Money
How Your Feeling Brain Blows Your Budget – Part 1
Jason Zweig does a great job of explaining the two sides of our brain in Your Money & Your Brain. We have the “thinking” or Reflective side; and we have the “feeling” or Reflexive side. Our Reflexive side is used more often daily – it is our automatic pilot, or intuition. The reflexive, feeling brain… Continue reading How Your Feeling Brain Blows Your Budget – Part 1
7 Signs You are in Financial Denial
Our guest blogger is Eric Dammann, clinical psychologist and financial coach in NYC. Financial denial can be so harmful to my clients. It works in the background, and often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. What is denial? It’s a defense mechanism we use to protect ourselves from unpleasant emotions and thoughts. Defense mechanisms are… Continue reading 7 Signs You are in Financial Denial
How Your Feeling Brain Buys the Wrong Investments –Part 2
Even if you just buy company stock or mutual funds in your 401(k), you are still considered an investor, and this blog is for you. In our last blog, we talked about the “feeling” brain and the “thinking” brain. We run on our Feeling brain most of the day until we kick in our Thinking… Continue reading How Your Feeling Brain Buys the Wrong Investments –Part 2