ADHD Money Talk

Continually eating out hampers our ability to build our financial future. How do you avoid reaching for your phone and ordering from food delivery services like DoorDash, and GrubHub when it brings so much fulfillment and joy? Ways to Get Your Food Spending Under Control Create a spending journal to track the frequency and total dollar amount you spend each week Set a fixed dollar amount for eatin...

Are your weekends and weeknights spent devouring freshly prepared delights brought to you by your local food delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub, or Uber Eats? Services like this are attractive to those of us with ADHD because it is a quick, easy decision and eliminates having to prepare a meal. The downside, of course, is the cost of these services. What is your food habit costing you? A qui...

As we begin looking ahead into the new year and what we want for our financial goals, it is important that you also reflect on how you did last year to ensure you do not repeat any undesirable spending behavior. Your order of operations Here is a quick recap of what your order of operations should be for 2023: Establish an emergency fund to cover, at a minimum, three to six months of expenses Pay...

The term happiness comes from the Old Norse term “happ,” meaning “luck” or “chance.” In the context of the Declaration of Independence, happiness was about an individual’s contribution to society rather than pursuits of self-gratification. Joy is a quality of the Soul. It is magnificent, divine, confirming, and otherworldly. Joy lives naturally and eternally within us all. Where is Your Focus? Mon...

Christmas shopping isn’t the only important item on your end-of-the-year list of things to do. There are several financial items you should also check to set yourself up for a great 2023 and potentially save money on taxes this year and get a bigger refund. Top Ten End-Of-Year Financial Checklist 1. Make sure you have not been paying too little tax on your income this year using the IRS paycheck c...

I was blessed and excited to be a guest on Eric Tivers’ ADHD Rewired podcast. In this episode, we discuss:  The shame we can feel around our finances How to use our values to help guide our financial planning How to get past the mental clutter when facing our finances Ways to stay consistent with financial management You’ll also hear some strategies for tackling debt against spending, why “budget”...

Lifestyle creep, or lifestyle inflation, is a real issue that can affect anyone - especially those of us with ADHD. When our income goes up, it's natural to want to spend more and enjoy life more. But if we're not careful, we can end up in a situation where we're making more money but have less saved. This can be a real problem when we hit a financial snag or want to retire. Suddenl...

Greed and selfishness are often seen as negative character traits, but what if they're actually symptoms of a bigger issue? In this episode, we'll explore the three differences between people with and without ADHD when it comes to greed and selfishness. We'll also outline a system that was used to get control, understanding, and change. Why is it important to understand the differen...

You've spent six months repairing your financial situation. You are completely out of debt. But now you are tired prone to a slip-up. Your credit cards with zero balances are staring at you begging to be used. This is the most important time of your journey, and when you may be the most vulnerable! This episode originally aired March 21, 2022. Want to work with me? Check out my ADHD Planning...

In this final episode of the budgeting workshop, we will complete the remaining steps to implement your budget, allowing you to concentrate on being intentional with your spending. If you just joined us and would like to start the series from the beginning, here is a quick recap of the episodes:  Ep. 40, Part 1 Income and Fixed Expenses Ep. 41, Part 2 Variable Expenses Ep. 42, Part 3 Analyzing Exp...

When you have ADHD, you must be mindful about setting goals to stay motivated and on track. Identify the goal Write out the purpose of the goal and why it is important Decide on one action step or small task you can do today that would bring you closer to your goal The ‘Financial Order of Operations’ is one method to help break down the process of identifying goals to focus on first. The Financial...

Identifying your financial purpose when setting up a budget allows us to maintain our focus on the process and our motivation moving forward.   I've created and shared two documents for you to use as you follow this series. The first is a spreadsheet on the reversed budget methodology, which you can find the link under the resource links at the bottom of the page to download and follow along....

ADHDers like organization and structure, so they get excited about setting up a budget. However, following the method over the long term rarely works if we don't spend the extra time setting up an automated system to keep us going when we don't feel like following the process. I've created and shared a spreadsheet on the reversed budget methodology under the resource links at the bo...

Establishing a budget doesn't need to be an uncomfortable experience. Once the basic elements are in place and you become familiar with the process, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it will be to manage money. I've created a spreadsheet on the reversed budget methodology, which you can find under the resource links at the bottom of the page to download and follow along. Th...

As a CFP financial planner, the most rewarding part of my job is comprehensive financial planning helping my clients get their estate in order, investing, and tax planning. My passion is to help people understand the joy that comes with the feeling of power in controlling your money. Most of the people that come to me are at a point where first, we need to focus on getting their financial house in...

Getting your money right helps in many ways because money touches so many aspects of our lives. Nothing has ever existed that has created more wealth or has been more influential in the transformation of families and people over time than the stock market. If you’re an investor, you’ve more than likely noticed how volatile the stock markets have been. However, if you stay the course, you can avoid...

President Biden announced a plan on August 24, 2022, to forgive student loan debt through the end of December 2022, with payments resuming in January 2023.  To be eligible for the $10,000 debt cancellation, your annual income must have fallen below $125,000 (for individuals) or $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households) If you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income thresho...

Stability and organization are two words that best describe an ideal world for the ADHD brain. What happens, then, when someone with ADHD has a variable income?  There’s no guarantee of stability, and it’s difficult to organize your expenses when you don’t have a fixed income. Creating a Repeatable Structure Establish a budget with a repeatable structure that doesn't require constant tweaking...

As a CFP®, I’m often asked about my services - and what makes me different from others who provide financial coaching or advice. To begin, the term financial planner encompasses a pretty broad area. For example, some advisors: Work like an insurance company and sell insurance on commission Fee-based by selling other investment products like annuities Fee-only planning as a flat fee for service ren...

Some call it their 'Life Happens Fund,' others their 'Emergency Fund.' Whatever you call yours, make sure you have one. But then you might want to take that thought one step further. I'm about to tell you why. My Dog Willow Recently Willow, my Bearded Collie, became very sick to the point where she needed to be hospitalized. Anyone who has gone through this before knows ho...

Shell Mendelson has more than 30 years of experience in the field of Career Counseling, and has ADHD herself. She knows it can be difficult to find a job you like, let alone a career you love. In this interview, Shell shares ways to identify fulfilling work, why it’s important to have passion in what you do, and why she doesn’t recommend disclosing your ADHD when applying for a job. Job Hopping an...

The final segment of our three-part series, we'll wrap up our discussion with Dr. Russell Ramsay, co-founder and co-director of the University of Pennsylvania's adult ADHD treatment and research program and associate professor of clinical psychology in the department of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine. We all know we should do things like eat better and get our money straig...

The second of our three-part series with Dr. J. Russell Ramsay, co-founder and co-director of the University of Pennsylvania's adult ADHD treatment and research program and associate professor of clinical psychology in the department of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine. Externalized Tricks to Control Spending One of the most common concerns people with ADHD struggle with is impul...

ADHD is more complex than just a summarized diagnosis in a diagnostic manual. There are many accumulated small behaviors physicians don't always identify that remain untreated. In the first of this three-part series, we speak with Dr. J. Russell Ramsay, co-founder and co-director of the University of Pennsylvania's adult ADHD treatment and research program and associate professor of clin...

The 'FIRE movement' is a concept that stands for ‘financial independence, retire early,’ where your investments provide all of your income to support your lifestyle. Hence, you no longer need to work. Sounds pretty good, right? The next obvious question then is how do you achieve this? Frugal Does Not Mean Deprivation To retire early, you have to save aggressively in the market until you...