Financial Psychology Blog

Articles on the beliefs, emotions, and patterns that shape how we relate to money. Grounded in research, written for real people.

Our articles draw on published research in financial psychology, behavioural economics, and financial therapy. Topics range from emotional spending and financial anxiety to the money beliefs formed in childhood and how couples navigate financial differences. Each article includes a summary of key findings and links to relevant free quizzes on this site.

Money Psychology

29 July 2026

Psychology of Saving: Why Saving Money Is So Hard

Why your brain discounts the future, what the research says about present bias, and the savings designs that beat willpower.

Read article →
Money Psychology

25 August 2026

Money and Relationships: Why Couples Fight About Finances

Why money arguments recur and stay unresolved, what the divorce research found, whether joint accounts actually help, how financial stress distorts the way you see your partner, and why money worry makes you argue worse.

Read article →
Money Psychology

16 August 2026

Delayed Gratification: The Psychology of Waiting

What the marshmallow test really proved, what shows up when you measure adults, why waiting depends on trust, how being broke eats the patience you need, and how to get better at it.

Read article →
Money and Mental Health

15 August 2026

Financial Trauma: When Money Fear Runs Deeper

What financial trauma is in psychology, how common it is, what causes it, how financial abuse and debt feed it, the signs, why avoidance costs you, why the fear lingers after your money improves, and what trauma-informed healing really looks like.

Read article →
Money Psychology

20 July 2026

Investing Psychology: Why Smart People Invest Badly

Why intelligence does not protect your returns, the biases like loss aversion and herd behavior that cost you, and how to invest with a calmer mind.

Read article →
Money and Relationships

20 July 2026

Financial Boundaries: How to Set Them Without Guilt

Why financial boundaries feel so hard, the common situations, scripts for saying no with warmth, and the research on money conflict in relationships.

Read article →
Money Beliefs

18 July 2026

Generational Money Patterns: Break the Cycle

What generational money patterns are, how they pass from parents to children, why you repeat them, and the steps to finally break the cycle.

Read article →
Emotional Spending

18 July 2026

Emotional Spending: Why You Buy When You Feel

The emotions that trigger spending, why your brain does it, who does it most, and evidence-based ways to stop the cycle for good.

Read article →
Money and Mental Health

16 July 2026

Financial Anxiety: Why Money Stress Goes So Deep

What financial anxiety is, what causes it, how common it is, how money stress affects your mind and body, how to manage it, and when to get professional help.

Read article →
Money Beliefs

16 July 2026

Money Scripts Guide: Identify and Rewrite Your Beliefs

The four Klontz money script categories, how to identify yours, why they shape your finances, how to rewrite them, journaling exercises, and when to see a therapist.

Read article →
Money Psychology

2 July 2026

Financial Self-Sabotage: Why You Keep Getting in Your Own Way With Money

What financial self-sabotage looks like, seven common patterns, where it comes from, and how to break the cycle and stop undermining your own goals.

Read article →
Mindset

19 July 2026

Scarcity Mindset: How It Shapes Every Money Decision

What a scarcity mindset is, the research on how it changes your brain, the signs you have one, and how to shift from scarcity to abundance.

Read article →
Money and Mental Health

2 July 2026

Money and Anxiety: Why Financial Stress Hits So Deep and What Helps

The psychology of financial anxiety, how it differs from practical money problems, coping strategies that work, and when to seek help.

Read article →
Mindset

19 July 2026

Abundance Mindset: The Psychology Behind It

What an abundance mindset really is, the psychology and research behind it, how it differs from growth mindset, and how to build it for real.

Read article →
Money Psychology

2 July 2026

The Psychology of Financial Independence: Why It Is About More Than Money

What financial independence means psychologically, how identity and money intertwine, the fear of success, and building the mindset alongside the money.

Read article →
Money Psychology

28 June 2026

Money Trauma: How Past Experiences Shape Your Financial Behaviour

What money trauma is, the experiences that cause it, the signs you may carry it, and how to begin healing your relationship with money.

Read article →
Money Beliefs

28 June 2026

How Your Childhood Money Beliefs Are Running Your Finances Today

How money beliefs form in childhood, five common limiting beliefs they create, and a practical process for rewriting the ones that no longer serve you.

Read article →
Money and Relationships

28 June 2026

Financial Gaslighting: When Someone Controls You Through Money

What financial gaslighting is, the signs to watch for, how it relates to financial abuse, and practical steps to protect yourself.

Read article →
Money Psychology

28 June 2026

Why Women Struggle With Money Differently (And What Psychology Says)

The research on gender differences in financial confidence, the conditioning behind them, money imposter syndrome, and practical reframes.

Read article →
Money and Relationships

28 June 2026

How to Set Financial Boundaries Without Feeling Guilty

Why financial boundaries feel so hard, six common boundary situations, and practical scripts for saying no with warmth and without guilt.

Read article →
Money Psychology

14 June 2026

The 6 Money Personality Types: Which One Are You?

Spender, saver, avoider, worrier, wealth-builder, or giver. Which pattern shapes your financial decisions and what does it mean in practice?

Read article →
Financial Anxiety

14 June 2026

Financial Anxiety: Why It Happens and What Actually Helps

Many people with comfortable incomes still experience significant money stress. Here is what drives financial anxiety and what the research says helps.

Read article →
Mindset

14 June 2026

Scarcity Mindset vs Abundance Mindset: What the Research Says

The difference is not just attitude. Research by Mullainathan and Shafir showed that scarcity thinking changes how we process decisions at a cognitive level.

Read article →
Money Beliefs

14 June 2026

Money Beliefs You Inherited From Your Parents (And How to Examine Them)

Much of what we believe about money was formed before we were ten. Brad Klontz's money scripts research explains how these early beliefs persist and how to examine them.

Read article →
Relationships

14 June 2026

How to Talk About Money With Your Partner Without Fighting

Money conflicts in relationships are rarely just about money. They are about the different values, histories, and beliefs each partner brings to financial conversations.

Read article →
Behaviour

14 June 2026

The Psychology of Impulse Buying: Why We Buy Things We Did Not Plan To

Impulse purchases are driven by predictable psychological mechanisms. Understanding them, and changing your environment, gives you more genuine choice.

Read article →
Wealth Mindset

14 June 2026

What People Who Build Wealth Think About Money Differently

Beyond the cliches, what does research actually tell us about the thinking patterns associated with building lasting wealth? A grounded look at six genuine differences.

Read article →
Money Psychology

17 July 2026

Financial Shame: How to Stop Feeling Guilty About Money

What financial shame is, why a third of people carry it, how it keeps you stuck in avoidance, and the research-backed steps to stop feeling guilty about money.

Read article →
Financial Wellbeing

14 June 2026

Money and Mental Health: The Research Behind the Connection

Financial stress and mental health affect each other in both directions. What the research shows and what actually helps when you are navigating both.

Read article →
Money Psychology

14 June 2026

Money and Self-Worth: Why Your Bank Balance Is Not Your Value

Why so many people unconsciously tie their sense of worth to their financial situation, what it costs them, and how to begin separating the two.

Read article →
Money Psychology

14 June 2026

The Psychology of Debt: Why People Get Stuck and How to Start Moving Again

Debt is not just a maths problem. The psychology behind debt shame, avoidance, and the patterns that keep people stuck long after the practical means to act are available.

Read article →
Behaviour

14 June 2026

Why Budgets Fail: The Psychology Behind Financial Planning That Does Not Stick

Most budgets fail within weeks. Not because people are undisciplined, but because they are designed in ways that contradict how human psychology actually works.

Read article →
Mindset

17 July 2026

Lifestyle Inflation: Why More Money Feels Like Less

The psychology of why a raise never feels like enough, what the research on hedonic adaptation and lifestyle creep shows, and how to stop the cycle.

Read article →
Money Psychology

14 June 2026

Money and Gender: How Women Are Socialised Around Wealth and What It Costs

How gender socialisation shapes women's relationship with investing, negotiation, and wealth building. The research behind the patterns and what changes with awareness.

Read article →
Money Psychology

4 July 2026

Money Avoidance: Why You Look Away From Your Finances and How to Stop

What money avoidance is, six signs to recognise, where the pattern comes from, and gentle first steps to face your finances.

Read article →
Money Psychology

4 July 2026

Fear of Investing: Why You Avoid the Stock Market and What to Do About It

The psychology behind investing fear, how loss aversion keeps you on the sidelines, and how to start small and build confidence.

Read article →
Emotional Spending

4 July 2026

Comparison Spending: How Keeping Up With Others Is Quietly Draining You

The psychology of social comparison and spending, how social media fuels it, and practical ways to detach and spend from your own values.

Read article →
Wealth Mindset

4 July 2026

Financial Confidence: How to Build It When You Feel Like You Are Bad With Money

What financial confidence really is, why so many women lack it, and six practical ways to build it.

Read article →
Advertisement

Get fresh reads straight to your inbox

Get notified when we publish new articles. Unsubscribe anytime.