Financial Therapy: Minding Your Money

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! Since financial education isn't a staple in schools, you might be wondering how you can help your kids learn basics that can affect the rest of their lives. Tune in for 8 ways to set your kids up for success. Then continue the conversation using the...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome back to Financial Therapy, and Happy 2026! Today we're talking about a subject that affects nearly every household in America: the affordability and debt crisis. When you're constantly chasing the next level of income, or spending just to flex, debt can pile up quickly....

Happy Holidays, everyone! Today on Financial Therapy, we're replaying one of our most popular episodes--don't miss it, and be sure to call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763). If you've ever wondered why it's so difficult to sit down, get focused, and make a budget, this episode is for you. Budgets help us set healthy boundaries--listen in for...

Happy Holidays, everyone! Today on Financial Therapy, we're replaying one of our most popular episodes--don't miss it, and be sure to call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763). Are you a minimizer or maximizer? A saver or investor? A responder or director? Lena and friend of the Financial Therapy podcast, Andi Cobb, cover Six Money Mindsets, an...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! Today we're talking about three things the average money manager won't necessarily tell you up front. Listen in, before you make your personal finance new year's resolutions in 2026. As always, the goal here is to help us all to be more secure and c...

Hey everyone! Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week. Data from an August 2025 Logica Future of Money Study indicates that 54% of Americans' outlook on their personal finances was optimistic, even as 50% believed the national economy was worse than a year prior. Why the disconnect? How stable is your financial future? Do you have a sound foundation for your financial decision-making, or ca...

Hey everyone! Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week. Have you ever felt guilt or shame about your finances? Do you want to make, spend, or give away your money with more confidence? Today we'll talk about three questions to ask to spot-check your feelings of guilt and shame around money. The goal here in Financial Therapy is to give us all ways to be more secure and confident in our finan...

For 49% of us, just looking at our bank accounts can trigger negative feelings. Fear can be defined as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; it goes hand in hand with denial--a defense mechanism where someone avoids a difficult truth by denying its existence. Have you ever wondered why you avoid or sidestep even looking at your finances? Do you want to...

Obligation is the condition of being morally or legally bound to do something; it can also be a debt of gratitude for a service or favor. Have you ever wondered why you feel so financially obligated to make, spend, or give away your money? Is it really your values at play, or are you captive to others' needs? How can you distinguish between obligations you need to follow through on vs. those you n...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Today we're talking about current events that are affecting our finances...and therefore our overall mental and emotional well-being. From a record spike in auto repossessions, to the highest number of October layoffs in 20+ years, to the longest federal government shutdown in h...

Today we'll ask our guest: What's your financial origin story? Were you taught financial literacy? Or did your caregivers rarely discuss money growing up? More often than not, we get our money mindsets passed down to us from our parents, or whoever was most responsible for making the financial decisions. Whether you were scraping by, or had an abundance of wealth (or whether either is the case rig...

Hey everyone--welcome to Financial Therapy! Last episode, we talked about three steps to take when creating your budget, so that you set it up as an effective boundary. Today, we're talking about how to communicate that boundary to others (and/or even back to yourself). Let's get more secure and confident in our financial decision-making, and enjoy a greater sense of well-being overall. Call or te...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! Last episode, we talked about how budgets help us set healthy boundaries--and the four hard truths about why many people don't have one. Today, we're talking about three steps to take to set your budget up as an effective boundary. The goal here is...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to sit down, get focused, and make a budget? Today we’re talking about how budgets help us set healthy boundaries--and the four hard truths about why many people don't have one. Let's change that by talki...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! In this follow-up to the Cost of Connection Episode, Andi and Lena discuss the pressure to spend for friends. Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

Today we'll ask our guest: What's your financial origin story? Were you taught financial literacy? Or did your caregivers rarely discuss money growing up? More often than not, we get our money mindsets passed down to us from our parents, or whoever was most responsible for making the financial decisions. Whether you were scraping by, or had an abundance of wealth (or whether either is the case rig...

Hey everyone, welcome to Financial Therapy! Today we’re talking about money dysmorphia, and we’ve got a great guest, Crystal Zuzek, back with us to have the conversation. Money dysmorphia is a term for having a distorted perception of one's financial situation--a view which doesn't match reality. It's characterized by feelings of financial insecurity or anxiety, even when objectively one's finance...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week! No matter your income level, basic interactions with money might make you anxious or get you down. Let's talk about some of them, as well as possible ways to adjust your mindset for the future. Call or text to submit your feedback...

Today we'll ask our guest: What's your financial origin story? Were you taught financial literacy? Or did your caregivers rarely discuss money growing up? More often than not, we get our money mindsets passed down to us from our parents, or whoever was most responsible for making the financial decisions. Whether you were scraping by, or had an abundance of wealth (or whether either is the case rig...

Hi everyone--welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week! Today we're talking about financial abuse, which is a common tactic used by abusers to gain power and control in a relationship. The forms of financial abuse may be subtle or overt but in general, include tactics to conceal information, limit the victim's access to assets, or reduce accessibility to the family finances. Again, any time t...

Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week! Today we're talking about financial infidelity, which occurs when a partner in a committed relationship intentionally lies to or keeps financial secrets from the other partner. This can take many forms, including hiding debts, secret bank accounts or credit cards, making large purchases without consulting the partner, or lying about income or expense...

Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! Today's episode is all about the 5 things the best financial advisors will do for you as their client. Listen in to be more confident making your next financial move! Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-...

Hey everyone, welcome back to Financial Therapy! Today we’re closing out a two-part episode about traditional finance theory vs. behavioral finance, and the biases that can creep into our financial decision-making. This episode, we'll talk more about "4 Horsemen" affecting our financial behaviors: obligation, fear/denial, guilt/shame, and pride--and discuss how gaining an understanding about them...

Hey everyone, welcome back to Financial Therapy! Today we’re starting a two-part episode about traditional finance theory vs. behavioral finance, and the biases that can creep into our financial decision-making. In his book, The Subconscious Mind of The Consumer (and How To Reach It), Harvard Business school professor Gerald Zaltzman says that 95% of purchasing decisions happen in the subconscious...

Hey everyone! Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week. Lena, Andi, and Pam continue the conversation about post-divorce financial realities. In Part 2 of the discussion, we talk what you may be feeling about spending on kids--as well as six practical steps you can take to give you more peace of mind on your post-divorce financial journey. Call or text to submit your feedback and questions f...