is why so much traditional financial advice from experts is so flawed. It’s surface level at best because it tends to only address skills and behaviors. It ignores the role of external and internal environments that shape and are shaped by our values, beliefs, identity and the painful conflict that all these factors create whenever there is misalig

Please, look at your Fun & BS account balance whenever you plan on spending money from that account and look your Bills & Life balance during your weekly finance time.

Of course, I look at money through the lens of economics, but I also look at money through the stories we tell ourselves in our personal and collective histories. I look at the role that our emotions play in making rational decisions.

Instead of learning how to integrate and move through our feelings, a consumer-driven culture tells us that we can always buy something to ease our discomfort, and that we should.

And processes that become habitual change how you self-identify. You’re much more likely to identify as a saver if you consistently save, even if you only save a little. Compare that to saving a lot at one point in your life. You’re less likely to identify as a saver.

The question goes from “Can I afford this?” to “How do I want to spend this?”

part of being empowered is accepting that we can’t expect that someone is coming to save us.

Look out for the signs: You save less than 5 percent of your income Your credit card balances aren’t going down You credit score is below 600 You have no emergency fund You’ve never made a budget You’ve paid an overdraft fee

about loving the journey. And it’s made making progress more fulfilling and sustainable.