Did you know your personality may also dictate how good you are with money? The field of behavioral finance has looked into the way people spend their resources for a long time, and experts have actually determined several “money personality” types.
Knowing yours can be useful for taking a step back and discovering what your relationship with money truly is, and how to improve it so that you can care for your financial independence more.
In this article, we will go through four of the most common money personality types. Keep reading to see which one applies to you.
The big spender loves to buy things. Whether it’s nice cars, new gadgets, or expensive clothing, big spenders feel best not when they accumulate money, but when they use it to accumulate goods they desire.
You can always notice a big spender out and about. They are usually very fashionable and make a huge statement with their appearance alone. The problem is, that the big spender is rarely content with what they bought.
Because if you buy the latest smartphone today, it’s only a matter of time until a newer, better version hits the market. The big spender always looks to have these “new” and “better” items before anyone else. They are not afraid to take huge financial risks and even go into debt if necessary.
For big spenders, creating a budget is key to helping them claim control of their finances. Budgeting can help big spenders still live their luxurious lifestyles while still putting money away for bigger financial goals.
Now think of the opposite of big spenders, and you’ll find the big savers of a group. They are notoriously careful with how they spend their money, sometimes even going to extremes in order to save it. They may turn off the lights when they exit a room, never keep the fridge door open for too long, and avoid using their credit card if it’s not absolutely necessary.
Big savers often come off as “cheap” and almost never indulge themselves; this is because they derive more pleasure from seeing their bank statements than actually purchasing something for themselves.
In terms of investments, big savers are one of the most conservative money personality types, and rarely take risks when investing their money.
Big savers often need more balance in their financial life. Having a better view of cash flow can help them start to enjoy their money (and life) more.
The balanced money manager lives somewhere between big spenders and big savers. They are somewhat financially savvy in that they do know how to take a risk when necessary, but are also quite careful with how they invest their money.
Balanced money managers are, in a sense, “the best of both worlds.” They indulge themselves from time to time but are never wasteful with their money. They like to accumulate funds without living like Ebenezer Scrooge just to see their funds go up.
However, balanced money managers may lead themselves into a false sense of security, specifically because they know they are careful with their money. This can make them prone to splurging on needless things when “times are good.”
Lastly, you have those who simply don’t think about money. “Budgeting” is not in their vocabulary at all - in fact, the simple idea of doing it may make them very uncomfortable.
Sometimes even, the indifferent to money types may have a genuine disgust towards the whole concept of money and financing, thinking of it as “bad” or even “evil.” These individuals focus much of their efforts on removing money out of the way when making important decisions in life, valuing other components of their life such as their well-being a lot more.
While it’s a lovely sentiment, unfortunately in the real world, one cannot take money completely out of the equation. Even if you are indifferent to money or are put off by the entire concept, being responsible with your money is still important to helping you reach your goals.
Those indifferent to money often need to make a little bit of effort to pay more attention to the topic they’d love to avoid.
Being able to organize and control your money is an essential quality to have. But while most people think you need extensive market knowledge and financial literacy in order to do it, many overlook just how much these money personality types influence your spending on a daily basis.
Determining your money personality can provide many insights into what sort of relationship you have with money. From there, you can better build a personal strategy designed to help you reach your financial goals, be it saving money, making better investments, or just making sure you’re secured in your golden years.
It’s important to note that there is no “good” or “bad” money personality. Being a big spender isn’t worse than a big saver - each simply requires different steps to improve financial health.
And no matter what money personality you have, you can do a lot to improve your financial health:
Your money personality isn’t necessarily going to reflect your success (or downfall) when trying to reclaim control over your finances. No matter which personality you have, with the right support and resources you can effectively improve your financial health and reach your goals.
First Financial Bank is here to help get you started, with several types of personal financial services designed to assist all money personality types improve their financial journey.
Check out our resources online, or contact us today for more information.
The information on this page is accurate as of September 2022 and is subject to change. First Financial Bank is not affiliated with any third-parties or third-party websites mentioned above. Any reference to any person, organization, activity, product, and/or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement. By clicking on a third-party link, you acknowledge you are leaving bankatfirst.com. First Financial Bank is not responsible for the content or security of any linked web page. Member FDIC / Equal Housing Lender.
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