Our financial choices aren’t just about dollars and cents—they’re shaped by the stories we believe about money, called money scripts. In this video, Rick Kahler explores how these scripts, passed down through generations, influence everything from saving to spending. Joined by Enneagram expert Joan Ryan, the conversation delves into how personality types add a fascinating layer to our financial habits. Whether you're a Type Three overspending to impress or a Type Nine avoiding budgets to keep the peace, understanding these patterns is key to rewriting your financial story. Awareness is the first step to lasting change!

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Rick Kahler uses a vivid boardroom metaphor to show how clashing internal financial parts of you, like a strict Project Manager, cautious Risk Manager, and bold Entrepreneur—can create chaos in your financial life. Without your calm, capable CEO (the Self) leading, these parts clash, leading to stress and indecision. This episode explores how to identify these financial “managers,” understand their roles, and unblend from their extreme behaviors. By unlocking the Self, you can harmonize these parts, making thoughtful, balanced money decisions and reclaiming leadership of your financial life."

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

In this podcast episode, we're diving into the critical role that emotional intelligence (EQ) plays in your financial success. Understanding and managing your emotions is key to making smart money decisions, and we're here to help you assess where you stand. We’ll explore ten definitive ways to evaluate your EQ, from recognizing emotions, emotional regulation, relationship health, and handling criticism, they all have an impact on your financial well-being.  Whether you’re struggling with sticking to a budget or feeling swayed by others’ financial opinions, these insights will guide you in identifying areas for growth. Tune in to discover how boosting your EQ can lead to more confident and effective financial decision-making.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Transparency is a highly valued attribute that extends to individuals, businesses, and government.  It is often touted, routinely promised, and often undelivered.  How many political candidates have promised to be the most transparent office holder ever, only to actually deliver the complete opposite?  The same is true of companies and individuals, promising to be transparent only to deliver opaqueness.  When it comes to promising transparency, it often seems the more a person or company touts it, the higher the probability it will not be delivered.  Perhaps Shakespeare’s famous line from Hamlet, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a fitting warning.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

In my experience, IFS Informed Financial Therapy is one of the more effective methodologies in helping clients resolve money issues. The power of the IFS protocol was demonstrated in my recorded conversation with Dr. Helen E. Lees, editor of PARTS & SELF, the international voice of the IFS Foundation. Because this was a type of interview with me, the session was not a normal IFS Session and did not follow the standard IFS protocol. I’ve seen clients make progress much faster in resolving their money issues when financial therapy is combined with IFS, it still is normal that the process will take several months or longer. As with most therapy, there are not many “quick fixes.” That said, I was impressed with how quickly Helen worked through the whole process.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Financial New Year’s resolutions are a common phenomenon this time of year—especially for anyone who overdid the holiday spending and who knows the new year is going to bring a new batch of credit card bills. Probably one of the most common financial resolutions is: “I’m going to make a budget and stick to it.” I’ve not written much on New Year’s Resolutions over my 30 plus years of writing a personal finance column.  Why?  Because “white knuckling” any meaningful behavioral change is rarely successful. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

With all the supply chain chaos, inflation, and uncertainty in the economy, this year is a perfect time to celebrate Christmas in the manner of Ebenezer Scrooge. Am I suggesting you celebrate Christmas like a cold-hearted skinflint? After all, Ebenezer Scrooge is probably the most famous miser in literary history. With the current economic uncertainty, most of us could logically support following his example of spending less, or even nothing, in uncertain financial times. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

In Part 2 of Rick’s discussion with Sonya, they discuss trauma and its impact on a person’s financial decisions. Sonya will also reveal the common denominator a person that suffers a significant loss in their lives is resiliency. The answer took Rick by complete surprise.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Rick talks with Sonya Britt-Lutter who is one of the pioneers of financial therapy.  Sonya was the first “real” financial therapist I knew of to have formal training in financial planning and therapy.  Listen to her journey to becoming a founder of financial therapy, which included her turning down a position with Rick, getting a doctorate in financial planning, and becoming the first president of the Financial Therapy Association. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Tyler and Kristen wanted a modern four-bedroom house with a three-car garage within their price range.  They bought a 75-year-old three-bedroom fixer upper with a one car garage that was over their price range. Real estate agents have a saying that “buyers are liars.”  Are they really, or was there something deeper, more emotional driving their decision?

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

The “what would people think” money scripts are often externally driven and very cultural. We tend to associate with and live near people who mirror our financial circumstances and money scripts. Such a “financial comfort zone” is shared by people who tend to have similar incomes, lifestyles, spending and savings habits, and beliefs about money.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

It’s not very often that I read an estate plan that treats children unequally. In estate planning, “equal” isn’t necessarily the same as “fair”.  Even when siblings agree that an unequal distribution is fair, they may feel a lot of internal resistance, even though they may be unable to articulate the reasons, which can be as numerous as the stars and would take a book to cover.  The important thing to acknowledge is that the emotions behind the reasons are not trivial but rather important and should not be dismissed or minimized.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Recently, I wrote a column and did a podcast on the personalities that tend to invest in crypto.  This article was the genesis of a conversation with some of my peers about the recent crypto meltdown. One emailed me an article that forms on Reddit were posting suicide prevention phone numbers, “  He ended his email with, “Suicide prevention hotlines…Wow…” Join me for an exploration of financially motivated suicide.

https://thefinancialtherapypodcast.com/

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Discover the surprising emotional journey behind senior discounts in this episode, where we unravel the mix of pride, resistance, guilt, and even shame that often accompany these perks of aging. Why do some seniors hesitate to claim what they’ve earned? How do societal views on aging influence these feelings? And how can we shift our perspective to see these discounts as a well-deserved reward for a lifetime of contributions? Join us for a thoughtful and lighthearted exploration of identity, self-worth, and the cultural attitudes that shape our views on getting older. Don’t miss this candid and insightful conversation!

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Raising your fees or asking for a higher wage is fraught with emotions and money scripts.  I recently had to work at convincing a vendor to raise her hourly fee she charged me.  My concern was that I wanted to be sure I was paying her a market rate.  That meant a 20% hike in her hourly fee, which she was fearful of doing because she didn’t want to lose my business.  I should know, as I go through the same difficult emotions myself when I raise my fees. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

How would you feel to find out your financial planner, financial coach, or financial therapist actually faced bankruptcy five times in their life?  Nervous?  Concerned?  Well, that’s exactly what I told the world in an interview that I did with Morey Stenner for MarketWatch.com,  Once I read the story, I had a few vulnerable parts of myself question if that was a good idea. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Money probably isn’t what you think it is, even though you think it may consume your thoughts and run your life.  In this episode I delve into 15 elements of money that may surprise you, anger you, or maybe relieve you.  Your understanding of money may never be the same again.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

The Vow of Poverty is a hurtful financial behavior wrapped in a cloak of looking good. Almost no one vows to exist in a state of poverty, which is not have enough money to meet basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.  The Vow of Poverty I am talking about is an intentional, conscious decision to minimize, even villainize, the importance of working for or accumulating money.  This behavior usually comes from two flavors: a righteous, holier-than-thou attitude that money corrupts, is bad, is evil, and that the morally superior askew it or that by doing the right thing the Universe or one’s Higher Power will provide all of one’s basic needs for life.  

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

What is financial wellbeing?  It’s a question that was recently posed to me by a researcher based in Berlin.  I had a bit of a struggle initially defining it. I spend so much focus writing and talking a lot about what financial wellbeing isn’t, that I don’t often focus on the bullseye of the target.  

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Why do so many people live in denial or avoidance, especially when it comes to money?  Because denial is a great place to be, especially when one partner becomes emotionally activated when the topic is broached by their partner.  Denial is a very effective tool used by our Protector parts to keep the wounded and Exiled parts of ourselves from having to feel unresolved pain. In a survey of 1,001 adults, 36 percent admitted that they avoided thinking about their financial difficulties.  Financial denial can show up in any coupleship, regardless of if they are financially successful or not. Denial can cause havoc in a coupleship and comes in two general varieties: when both partners are in denial and when one partner is in denial.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Dr. Jacob Needleman, author of Money and the Meaning of Life, suggested that one of the first places to begin building good money skills is to examine all the opinions you have about money. He compared our beliefs about money to an antiques store, where occasionally you find a priceless treasure, but which most often is filled with junk. He contends that we need to open the contents of our minds and examine our opinions and beliefs about money, asking each one “How did you get in here?” Join Rick to learn exactly how you can do this.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Research shows that therapy fails to benefit 25% to 50% of clients.   Of course, these findings suggest that 50% to 75% of people do benefit.  It makes sense the same is true of financial therapy.  These statistics piqued my curiosity to learn more about why financial therapy may fail. Are the reasons similar or are there differences?

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Research shows that therapy fails to benefit 25% to 50% of clients.   Of course, these findings suggest that 50% to 75% of people do benefit.  It makes sense the same is true of financial therapy.  These statistics piqued my curiosity to learn more about why financial therapy may fail. Are the reasons similar or are there differences?

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

There are a number of Halls of Fames. My quick perusal of the Halls of Game on Wikipedia found over 250 different halls of fame. Nowhere in the list was there a Single Parents Hall of Fame.  There should be. The emotional and financial challenges of being a single parent are monumental.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

In this insightful episode, we delve into how U.S. election outcomes influence retirement planning, revealing a surprising pattern: many advisors and clients react to political uncertainty with fear-driven investment decisions, often to their detriment. Reflecting on the 2016 and 2020 elections, we explore how market reactions defied expectations.  Will history repeat itself and why this year may or may not be different. Join us as Rick discusses what you need to do both emotionally and financially to prepare for the 2024 election outcome. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

I once confessed to my clients that I had a financial planner. The reactions fell into two categories. “Should I be worried?” and “That’s a pretty strong endorsement of your profession, that you think so highly of your services you seek them out from a peer.” Should your financial therapist also have a financial therapist and a financial planner?  Find out why the best practices says they do.  

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Speculators in cryptocurrencies content they invest for the hope of high returns. Research shows they speculate in cryptocurrency for reasons that were not just about the money. They all held personality traits in, what psychology calls the” dark tetrad,” which is a group of four personality traits: narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism. They also found there were three common themes: FOMO (fear of missing out), optimism, and a belief in conspiracy theories.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Your perception is your reality, regardless of what the facts suggest. When they were youngsters, my kid’s favorite TV show was Mythbusters. The host, Adam Savage, was known for saying, “I reject your reality and substitute my own.” He often said this in jest, but he was describing the human condition. This is especially true when it comes to money, where perceived risk is the risk you believe, whether that degree of risk really exists.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

While money will not give you meaning in life, there is extraordinarily little likelihood that you will find meaning in your lives without it. The purpose of money is to serve and support the search for meaning in our lives. We are hardwired with two general conditions, the need to survive and the quest for meaning. Our material needs must be satisfied before we can ultimately satisfy the quest for meaning. The bridge between these two conditions is money.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Greed, whether for money or food or anything else, is not produced by an economic model.   Whether people live under a capitalistic, socialistic, or communist system—or in a Stone Age tribal group—greed is alive and well in all of them. Every human being experiences it in some way and on some level. It has been considered one of the seven deadly sins since the early days of the Christian church.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

As a financial planner and financial therapist, witnessing a client grieving over a financial loss is ubiquitous.  Financial losses include a job, a business failure, a poor investment decision, the loss of a significant financial asset like a car, home, cash, collectable, or precious metals.  Financial losses also include the death or disability of an income earner or breadwinner. The difference of the loss of a loved one from the financial aspect of a loss is that financial losses can be insured against to minimize the financial impact of a loss.  While insurance can mitigate the financial loss, it can’t remove the emotional pain of that loss.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Among people that have accumulated enough of a nest egg to pass on, my experience is there is little thought given to whom they will bequest the money.  It’s generally a forgone conclusion any inheritance will go to their children or grandchildren. The societal money script around leaving an estate in the U.S. is “Good parents leave all their money to their kids,” and “the more money I can leave my kids the better off they will be.” It’s not surprising then there is usually no thought or discussion on how to pass on an inheritance in a manner that doesn’t harm the kids and rarely, if ever, is there any discussion on leaving money philanthropically.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

In the past when I read stories about scams, I often wondered how people could be so gullible. I assumed that the victims of fraud were the elderly or less educated, had suffered a recent loss of a loved one or who were isolated.  While there is some data suggests that one in five over age 65 have been targeted by email scammers, being scammed can happen to anyone.  Nobody is immune to fraud and sometimes people simply fall for scams due to the psychological techniques employed by fraudsters. Falling for a scam is not about the money.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

The prevailing emotion experienced by many when any market is falling is anxiety.  The cause of anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically when we anticipate a negative outcome to an imminent event or uncertainty.  First, whatever you are feeling, you are feeling.  That’s a fact. It doesn’t help, and probably is hurtful, to tell yourself you “should” not be feeling anxiety over the decrease in your portfolio.  There are many reasons why a person may feel anxiety around a decline in value.  Some could be because more information needed.  Other reasons are anchored in unresolved trauma from past experiences that may have little to do with the falling markets

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Financial infidelity isn’t necessarily “the problem” in itself. It often is tangled up with other difficulties in the relationship, and it almost always will exacerbate those problems. Even though it is very damaging, it is something a couple can face and can heal from. Couples can recover from financial infidelity and learn to change the behaviors behind it. In my work with couples, we’ve seen some incredible transformations.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

In this podcast episode, we're diving into the critical role that emotional intelligence (EQ) plays in your financial success. Understanding and managing your emotions is key to making smart money decisions, and we're here to help you assess where you stand. We’ll explore ten definitive ways to evaluate your EQ, from recognizing emotions, emotional regulation, relationship health, and handling criticism, they all have an impact on your financial well-being.  Whether you’re struggling with sticking to a budget or feeling swayed by others’ financial opinions, these insights will guide you in identifying areas for growth. Tune in to discover how boosting your EQ can lead to more confident and effective financial decision-making.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Not all money secrets add up to financial infidelity. Partners shouldn’t need to account to each other for every penny they spend. And saving on the sly for your spouse’s birthday gift is a lot different from lying about the cost of that new computer gadget you just had to have. Secrets cross the line into infidelity when they are for the purpose of protecting yourself from the consequences of your financial behavior.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Keeping secrets in a committed romantic relationship around other significant intimate relationships usually doesn’t end well.  While an intimate relationship with others can include people, they more often include intimate relationships with non-human relationships, like with substances, alcohol, food, and money.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

One of the most important ways people learn is through observing the behavior of others. Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.”  “Telling” is not usually an effective method of teaching unless it is accompanied by “showing.” When it comes to helping clients build healthier relationships with money, one of the most valuable tools facilitators have is modeling healthy relationships themselves.  One of the most important components of becoming or hiring a financial professional is their ability to understand and change their own self-limiting money scripts and harmful financial behaviors.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

For an individual, overspending or underspending is a problematic financial behavior that can adversely affect the quality of life.  For a couple, the adverse effect of overspending or underspending is multiplied and multifaceted.  Not only can the behaviors be life threatening, they can also result in the termination of the coupleship. There are five possible combinations of over/under spending in a coupleship.  Two don’t result in significant marital issues but can be financially and physically devastating.  Two are somewhat less financially devastating but potentially threatening to the success of the coupleship.  One usually includes both financial and emotional chaos.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

“Be frugal.” “Save for the future.” “Live on less than you make.”  That’s my usual financial advice, and it’s well worth repeating even though too many Americans aren’t following it. Sometimes, though, I find it necessary to work with clients to overcome a different problem—underspending.  Huh? How can underspending possibly be a problem? Isn’t it a virtue to save and accumulate?

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Financial denial is a protective behavior that is usually found in conjunction with several other problematic financial behaviors like compulsive buying behavior, gambling disorder, hoarding disorder, workaholism, financial dependence on others, and financial enabling.  It’s especially common in those that have to dominate Money Avoidance money scripts and Enneagram Type Nines. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

One aspect of money disorders that contributes significantly to financial difficulties is denial or avoidance. Many of those with money disorders attempt to cope by simply not thinking about money or trying not to deal with it. Rather than acknowledging the impact of their troubled financial situations, and experiencing the underlying pain, they try to ignore them.  The result usually ends badly.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Rick explains the more common money script types that are prone to financial dependence and why financial dependency also extends to relying on financial professionals with narcissistic, histrionic, borderline, or antisocial personalities.  These advisors are more erratic and live for drama. Consumers with dependent personalities are drawn to advisors with these disorders, and will give them exactly what they need, praise, high regard, and being in charge of making all their financial decisions.  It’s a match made in heaven until the inevitable descent to hell. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Do you rely on others for the bulk of your monthly income?  If so, it’s possible you’re your relationship with money may be suffering.  Being financially dependent is a financial disorder defined as “reliance on others for non-work income that creates fear or anxiety of being cut off, feelings of anger or resentment related to the non-work income, and a stifling of one’s motivation, passion, and/or drive to succeed.”  If this sounds like you or someone you love you will learn more in this podcast. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Making poor financial decisions is a financial behavior destined to keep us poor.  Over 70% of Americans think they understand money, yet surveys show 66% can pass a very simple financial literacy test. What’s the reason for the disconnect between our actual and perceived level of financial competence? For one thing, part of the human condition is that facts don’t matter if they don’t align with one’s world view. This is one reason so many of us hold onto delusional beliefs about money, investing, and even health decisions. We tend to be reluctant to undergo the arduous, painful, humiliating process of challenging and modifying our world views.  Learn how you can begin to change your thinking. 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Fear and frustration about Social Security's future are spreading like wildfire, especially during election seasons. Politicians have intensified these concerns, warning that Social Security will go broke by 2035. This has left many, especially younger workers, feeling bitter and anxious about their financial futures. Stories of individuals doubting they'll ever see the benefits of their contributions highlight a growing sense of hopelessness. However, experts assure that a complete collapse is highly unlikely, with payroll taxes continuing to fund most benefits. Cognitive biases like the Availability Heuristic, Confirmation Bias, and Negativity Bias are at work, making these alarming statements seem more believable and widespread. It's essential to navigate these fears with accurate information and not let alarmist rhetoric dictate our financial planning.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Workaholism is an addiction where the workaholic is highly involved in work, feels driven to work because of inner pressures that make the person feel guilty or depressed when not working, and in which the person has low levels of work enjoyment. It has been estimated that one in ten adults in the United States are workaholics, with as many as 25 percent of psychotherapists and physicians estimated suffer from workaholism.  Rick also explores if it workaholism when the person has high levels of work enjoyment.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Problematic money behaviors and disorders are not caused by a lack of money. They cannot be cured by knowing more about money or having more money. There is no significant correlation between happiness and money once household incomes are above $75,000 per year. The significant economic gains experienced by Americans in the past few decades have not been accompanied by a rise in life satisfaction and are actually correlated with increases in distrust and depression. So, what’s going on? 

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.

Somatic Finance rocks Gayle Colman’s world.  As a financial advisor, and the founder of Somatic Finance, she brings her passion for Somatic Finance to life by offering people an entirely new way of being in relationship with money. Join Gayle and Rick for an unscripted conversation about their respective journeys into somatic finance and financial therapy.

A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them.
Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT-I™, has helped people make better money decisions by integrating financial planning. He blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive making them and shares them on his financial therapy podcast.