Money & Mindset

Inflation usually feels like a gradual increase, a slow drip. We usually don’t notice it. Since the pandemic, however, inflation has felt more like a flash flood. Not only have some prices risen very noticeably, we are reminded daily in headlines, social media, and conversations that everything feels much more expensive.

By definition, the future is about what will be, not what is. When we think about our financial future, we must think about our life circumstances as they will be, not as they are. Much of what will be is uncertain, but inflation is certain.

Money and our personal finances carry and activate a lot of emotions. We react to dollar amounts because numbers carry meaning. Because we are emotional meaning-makers, we leap from a nominal dollar amount to the social and psychological meaning of those amounts, bypassing the “real value” assessment.

How to improve your mood and possibly your financial life with a daily intention practice.

Most everyday decisions are driven by the brain’s fast, automatic mode of thinking known as System 1, which relies on intuition, emotions, and mental shortcuts (heuristics), rather than its slower, more deliberate, and analytical mode of thinking known as System 2.

We live in a society of more, more, more. Our culture equates progress with accumulation, more income, more possessions, more productivity, and more upgrades. There’s always another milestone to achieve just beyond the one you’ve reached, and the finish line keeps on moving.

What if one of the most powerful things you could do for your finances had nothing to do with a spreadsheet? No new budgeting app. No debt payoff calculator. No guilt-stricken review of last weekend’s spending. Just one small, low-friction, consistent habit reshaping the way you think, feel, and act around your money.

Gratitude isn’t about ignoring challenges. It’s a way to gently widen your perspective, helping your nervous system feel calmer and more settled so you can respond intentionally and in ways that honor your values. The more consistently you invest in your gratitude practice the more valuable it becomes.

Aligning your financial decisions with what matters most to you.

Identifying the connections of your financial life + your FREE financial web of life template. Have you ever noticed how one financial decision or situation can ripple through what feels like every part of your life? Our financial lives function much like a web with every strand connected to another. When one strand of a spider web is disturbed, the vibration travels across the entire structure. Financial stress works the same way.

The Ostrich Effect: Understanding Why We Avoid Financial Stress. Why facing financial reality is sometimes harder than it seems.

Social media doesn’t just shape how we think. Evidence suggests it may rewire neural systems involved in impulse control, delayed gratification, and emotional regulation. For your finances, that rewiring can be expensive.

Managing Financial Stress During Periods of Economic Uncertainty

The psychological patterns that override logic in everyday financial decisions.

Raising questions about wealth, influence, power, public trust, and accountability—and what it means for people outside elite circles navigating unequal systems.

As money worries increase, companionship from pets can serve as a powerful buffer against stress and uncertainty.

Abundance, growth, and scarcity mindsets: How these mindsets shift your perspective and can influence the way you navigate your life.

The Hidden Scripts Behind Our Financial Choices: How your past shapes your spending, saving, and beliefs about money.

Exploring the emotional and psychological impact of money +60 supportive coping activities to help you regain a sense of emotional balance.

Why building an emotional connection to who you’ll become may be the key to saving more and making smarter long-term financial decisions.