Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! In today's episode, we're diving into a topic that resonates with so many retirees and those preparing for retirement: how to graduate from guilt and finally feel good about spending in retirement. Joining me is Linda Grizely, a personal finance expert and financial wellness speaker who specializes in helping people turn financial overwhelm into empowerment. Linda makes money feel approachable, practical, and human, and today she's here to guide us through the emotional and psychological aspects of financial decision-making, especially as it relates to spending in retirement.

During our conversation, Linda and I explored the shame and taboo that often surround both having and not having money. We discussed the importance of understanding your "money personality," a concept Linda developed to help individuals recognize how they interact with finances and why certain spending or saving behaviors feel easier or more challenging. In real time, I took Linda’s money personality assessment (available free on her website), which revealed me as a "spender"—a money personality that uses finances to invest in memories and express love rather than seeing spending as negative.

Linda shared her ME! Money Method, a strategy that enables individuals (and couples) to set aside guilt-free funds for personal enjoyment, fostering mindfulness over restriction. We unpacked how this method helps different money personalities navigate retirement spending and overcome psychological hurdles, whether fear of running out of money for security seekers or unintentional overspending by risk-takers and spenders. Linda also illustrated, with both professional and personal stories, why self-awareness and reframing our approach to money are crucial for achieving true financial wellness and enjoying retirement.

5 Key Takeaways:

1. Shame Is Universal: Whether you have too little or more than enough, shame around money is common. Recognizing this helps reduce isolation and encourages open, productive conversations about finances.
2. Money Personalities Matter: Linda’s money personality assessment demonstrates that understanding your natural approach to money—whether spender, saver, security seeker, avoider, or risk-taker—can help inform better financial decisions and remove judgment.
3. The ME! Money Method: Setting aside separate guilt-free funds for yourself (and your spouse or partner) empowers you to enjoy life and eliminates the guilt often associated with spending, especially for security seekers struggling in retirement.
4. Self-Awareness Leads to Better Choices: Linda’s work, including her own experience and her husband’s, shows that having a structure around personal spending makes you more mindful and intentional without feeling restricted.
5. Financial Wellness Is Human: True financial wellness is about more than numbers—it’s about understanding psychology, behavior, and emotions, which can free retirees to enjoy their resources without fear or guilt.

Join us as we inspire and educate you on your journey toward financial freedom, empowering you to spend your retirement years with confidence, purpose, and joy. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode with anyone seeking a healthier, happier relationship with their money!