The Financial Therapy Podcast - It's Not Just About The Money

Join a conversation on couples therapy with an emphasis on IFIO, IFS, and Narcissism with a former GGU student Louis Wellmeier, a former attorney whose role was adversarial, to an integrated financial planner whose role is to collaborate with his clients to make their lives better.  The session was taped as a part of my monthly “Talking Financial Therapy with Rick Kahler” office hours session.   I...

I’ve often repeated Jacob Needleman’s quote that money won’t give you meaning, but it’s impossible to find meaning without money.  In this segment, Bari brings this to life and will give you the path to connecting your money with your values and then the three steps to how to make good money decisions.  This segment is worth the price of admission, LOL!! A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of...

Bari Tessler talks about the tools she developed and first used for herself and then taught them to her clients.  We take time to go into depth on The Body Check-In and The Money Date and how to create a supportive and anxiety-free atmosphere to have even the toughest talks with money.  These are not “one and done” tools, but rather practices that when integrated with your life can be transformati...

Bari Tessler is back with us this week where we discuss the importance of professionals in doing their own work and why that is a continuous practice, not a one-and-done event. We also discuss the challenges of certification, the future of the financial therapy profession, one of Rick’s money scripts, and why Bari is the consummate individualist.   A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of finan...

Bari Tessler, a somatic based financial therapist and author of “The Art Of Money” is my guest for this special four-part series. In this first conversation, Bari talks about the evolution of training consumers to creating groups where financial and healing professionals can find a safe space to explore their relationship with money, learn tools to use with clients, and how to support a sustainabl...

Investors appear to have a poor grasp of the fee issue, failing to minimize fees even when the benefits are presented in a clear and incontrovertible disclosure. In fact, the mean fee paid by the participants was far enough above the minimum they could have paid that it dramatically reduced long-term gains. Why is this?  It doesn’t seem logical. It’s not about the money. There are three cognitive...

I was encouraging one of my 20 something friends at my gym to attend a workshop I was giving on investing and financial planning.  I quipped, “I’ll teach you how to be a millionaire.”  “Really?” she responded.  I quickly explained how if someone her age invested $6,000 a year in stocks for the next 7 years and then stopped, there would be a high probability she would have $1 million at age 65.  I...

Non-Violent Communication teaches us to learn to hear our own deeper needs and those of others. Through its emphasis on deep listening—to ourselves as well as others—NVC helps us discover the depth of our own compassion. This language reveals the awareness that all human beings are only trying to honor universal values and needs, every minute, every day. Understanding our needs is directly tied to...

A reporter for a financial planning magazine recently asked me when a client loses their job, what emotional support should they expect from the planner? How can the planner best respond to the emotions of the client? What emotions can the planner expect to experience?  That’s something I have never pondered specifically, and I thought it might be interesting to explore. Let's just start from...

What are the hurtful financial behaviors driven by our Money Scripts and how can we modify those behaviors into ones that are healthy and supportive?  Most money scripts cannot be changed cognitively or with more information as they often are anchored emotionally.  Learn two ways that you can begin to understand the origin and intention of your, or your client’s, money scripts and how to begin the...

The concept of Money Scripts was coined by Drs. Ted and Brad Klontz and Rick Kahler in 2005 and first appeared in Conscious Finance – Uncover Your Hidden Money Beliefs and Transform the Role of Money in Your Life, co-authored by Rick Kahler and Kathleen Fox.  They have become common language in describing the underlying thoughts and beliefs a person has about money, that drive financial behaviors....

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 di...

Consuming a diet of just one type of news bias can result in long-term damage to your financial and emotional wellbeing.  It can destroy relationships and making evidence based, reasoned, and informed financial decisions.  For example, selling out of the stock market or going all-in solely on one’s political beliefs and bias are almost always a recipe for financial disaster.  I’ve watched in time...

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 opaqu...

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 di...

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 pers...

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...

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 our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler...

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...

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...

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 financia...

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 thin...

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...

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...

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...