Hey Hey Funders!
It might be Financial Literacy Month - but Americans have Financial Anxiety more now than ever before. From trending headlines to tariffs tearing up their budgets. Layoffs and inflation are being normalized. Plus their own money headlines. It's a LOT.
The notion around doom scrolling has a new level that’s been unlocked because it seems like doom and gloom are everywhere. There’s a weight many folks are carrying right now that rarely shows up in spreadsheets, budgets, or net worth calculators:
The mental tax of managing money in an economy that won’t sit still.
Inflation may not be rising as fast as it was, but prices haven’t dropped.
Jobs are shaky. Wages are inconsistent. The market feels like a ping-pong table.
And even if you’re doing all the right things, it may still feel like you’re barely keeping up.
I thought about the mental math of how not only the scrolling and scheme around the economy can be the same capacity as living paycheck to paycheck. But when I was scrolling over the weekend, I saw where someone asked what was the layer below living paycheck-to-paycheck and someone said living Overdraft-to- Overdraft. But when it comes to your mindset, energy, or how the economists say - consumer sentiment. A lot of us are going through something around the feeling over Mental Budget Overdraft.
It’s not just about dollars—it’s about capacity. How you’ll be able to deal with the tariffs playing red light, green light - to how your retirement is doing the latest dance move based upon someone talking.. And for many, that capacity is running low. The low is lava.
Nearly 73% of people report financial anxiety right now.
Not overspending. Not a lack of knowledge. But anxiety. Worry. Mental fatigue. And friends, I’ve been there.
Been There, But This?!
Lately, the conversation about the economy has been about how adults handled the 2008 recession. So they can prepare for what could be coming, a lot of us Millennials and Gen Xers (even you Boomers) got tired thinking about it.
Yes, we had a Dollar Menu, but gas also went up to $5/per gallon. Housing crashed, but unemployment did too. I learned about money when I didn’t have any. A lot of people love to talk about millionaires being made in recessions, but can we talk about the mental tax that we paid?!
While the pandemic compounded that mental tax, the recession of 2008 will not feel like the recession of 2025/2026 - why?
We’ve been not only going through personal recessions for a while, but we are still tapped out from the pandemic. A lot of lives were lived and lost during that pandemic.
Back to your mental budget..
What’s In Your Mental Budget Right Now?
Let’s pause here.
Before we talk about income streams, interest rates, inflation, or even savings goals, I want you to ask:
“What’s taking up the most emotional space when I think about my money?”
For some, it’s a fear of losing the little they’ve saved.
For others, it’s the constant battle between spending on life today vs. preparing for what could hit tomorrow.
It might be comparing your financial journey to someone else’s—or feeling like you’re behind a “timeline” that was never really yours to begin with.
These are the things we don’t log in a budget tool.
But they’re running your money decisions every single day.
Behavioral Finance: The Foundation, Not The Fluff
What you do with your money is important, but why you do it matters just as much.
Behavioral finance helps us understand the patterns, triggers, and habits that shape our money mindset.
It’s not just theory. It’s how your upbringing, emotions, stress response, and beliefs all show up when it’s time to make a decision.
When we understand why we save, overspend, freeze, or overthink, we can finally start building a system that actually supports us.
That’s the difference between wishful thinking and real strategy.
The Economy Is Loud. Your System Should Be Grounding.
When the world gets loud, your money system has to be your quiet space. You have to redefine not only what luxury looks like for you (like I was yapping with a friend about the morning I wrote this) but the leverage you might have as we ride the high tide, low tide of this economy. Boots on the ground and a fan will keep you focused when the world is in flames.
A steady, customized structure that you can return to when everything else feels unpredictable.
That’s where we shift the conversation from just budgeting to building a personal economy—one rooted in clarity, boundaries, and behavioral awareness (just as important as how much money you have to manage).
Here’s what that could start to look like:
1. Audit Your Mental and Emotional Money Triggers
This isn't fluffy work. This is the hard behavioral work that most skip.
- What financial decisions have been emotionally reactive vs. intentional?
- Are you confusing feeling broke with actually being misaligned?
- What do you tell yourself when a financial challenge pops up?
This is the root system. Without addressing it, no budget will stick.
2. Revisit Your Budget As A Behavioral Tool
We need to stop treating budgets like restrictive reports.
A budget is your permission slip and boundary-setting document at the same time.
In uncertain times, it should reflect what your actual life looks like, not some aspirational version.
- Are your budget categories outdated?
- Are you still trying to “discipline” yourself into habits that don’t fit your reality?
- Have you budgeted for your peace and pace—like therapy, rest, or time off? Heck, logging off from the headlines and talking heads to do the self-talk in your own head.
- Determining what your own algorithm looks like.
If not, your budget may be accurate, but it’s not effective.
Give yourself grace while the ground is shaking - figuratively and financially (literally).
3. Build Accountability Into Your System—Not Just Your Schedule
Accountability is not just about a calendar check-in. It’s about visibility with intention.
Who or what reminds you of your money goals when life gets messy?
It might be an accountability partner, a financial coach, or even a money ritual like weekly check-ins with yourself.
Because discipline will fail when life gets loud. But systems? Systems can hold you.
4. Stop Letting The Headlines Dictate Your Moves
The economy isn’t quieting down anytime soon.
There’s chatter about a recession, whispers about layoffs, and constant noise about market swings.
You don’t need to know the next 6 months. But you do need to be anchored in a money system that protects and supports you no matter what those headlines say.
You don’t need to predict the future.
You need to be prepared to pivot.
If your money system feels reactive, emotional, or absent right now, that’s not failure but functionality. That’s feedback.
Let this be your reminder that your mental budget matters just as much as the numbers.
And when you ground your mindset, build a system, and protect your peace, your money follows.
Next up: In our next issue, we’ll do a deeper dive into your wallet audit (here's the roadmap) —a quarterly reset where we’ll look at how to build and adapt your systems mid-year with clarity and confidence.
We’ll walk through what to revisit, what to realign, and what needs to be rebuilt so your goals don’t just live in your head but in your habits.
Because this year isn’t over. And your money story?
It’s still being written—with intention, strategy, and your voice leading the way.
If you’re ready to get out of financial autopilot or want help building a money system that’s rooted in your reality, I’m accepting new clients.
I’ve also launched a new Ask Me Anything (AMA)-style financial planning service—perfect for those who don’t need a full plan but want expert clarity on their money questions, systems, or next step.
Let’s build your financial clarity from the inside out. Learn more about this service and others here.
My Algorithm:
Content I've shared or been in..
I’m hosting a Budgeting Workshop! Finally. If you have an interest in getting your money together while the economy unravels, this 90 workshop will be for you. Here’s the link to get more information as it gets into formation.
I was in the Press last week - TWICE! Business Insider got my take the loud economy when it comes to the tariffs rocking the stock market and dealing with your budget when it comes to this uncertainity economy. Please check both out!
Speaking of Your Budget, my latest YouTube video is packed with some good insights when it comes to implementing your money!
Stay Focused, Stay Funded -
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What was 1 thing you crushed in Q1?
While everyone is showing their highlight reels (no pun), let me know what's one money thing - big or small - you accomplished?!
Me? Got a new business bank account, whew.
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