Hey everyone, welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week! Today we’re replaying an episode about money dysmorphia: a psychological disconnect between your actual financial status and your perceptions of it. People can suffer from money dysmorphia regardless of whether they over- or underestimate their financial resources.

Crystal Zuzek is with us to have the conversation; she first heard about this concept via an episode from the Glamorous Trash podcast, which discussed how social media is fueling financial anxiety, and asked the question: who’s really broke vs. just unnecessarily worried about being so?

Based on her own experience, money dysmorphia can be characterized by feelings of financial insecurity or anxiety, even when objectively one's finances are stable or healthy. Alternatively, it can look like denying the limitations of your finances, or ignoring the consequences of your spending--whether because of overconfidence, 'keeping up with the Jones', nihilism, etc. It can manifest as overspending, excessive worrying about money, or avoiding spending altogether--all because you feel wealthier or poorer than you actually are.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

Originally aired: September 23, 2025

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Hey everyone, welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week!

When financial losses are staring us down--whether we've already endured them, or they're just over the horizon--it can be a painful emotional experience. Today we're talking about what financial losses can do to us mentally, and the biases that can lead to emotions like fear, denial, guilt, and shame. We'll also discuss how we can better accept losses by reframing situations into opportunities to grow in our financial lives.

The goal here is to give us all ways to be more secure and confident in our financial decision-making--even when we stand to lose--so we'll have a greater sense of well-being overall.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

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Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week!

Optimism bias is a psychological phenomenon where people in part believe they are more likely to experience positive outcomes in the future. In personal finance, this can mean overestimating future income, underestimating future expenses, and spending unnecessarily today, without a clear plan for tomorrow.

If you're one of the millions of Americans expecting to receive some of the more than $100 trillion on the line in the "Great Wealth Transfer", optimism bias may be affecting you. If so, the historic, multi-decade transition of assets from Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation to younger generations--primarily Millennials and Gen X--requires some perspective. So today we're highlighting four things about inheritances that you should keep in mind.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

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Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week!

According to USA Today, impulse buying is up, despite the financial crunch most of us are feeling. Splurging can feel great--it's generally driven by the interactions between emotions, environments, and immediate gratification, says Sining Wang, assistant economics professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. Modern retail environments are designed to encourage quick decisions, instead of rational ones--or those that incorporate long-term financial goals, based on our carefully crafted budgets.

In today's episode, we'll talk about why this is happening--as well as three ways we may be able to keep our splurge spending in check. The goal here is to give us all ways to be more secure and confident in our financial decision-making, and to have a greater sense of well-being overall.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

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Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy! Today we're talking about how to break away from bad money habits, by rethinking or being more conscious about the money moves we make--or don't make.

Whether trusting ourselves to end financial commitments when circumstances change, or taking a leap of faith once we have a plan in place, breaking bad habits takes practice. By using 6 tips we talk about today, we can acknowledge our emotions around finances, and take them into consideration, without letting them rule our financial decisions.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

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Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy!

Today we're challenging the status quo by talking about 5 places to find free money. Consider making some small changes, because if not, you may be leaving some money on the table, or costing yourself financially.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

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Hey everyone, I'm Lena Banks – a Certified Financial Planning professional and small business coach based in Austin, TX. Welcome to Financial Therapy!

Today's replay episode is all about the 5 things the best financial advisors will do for you as their client. Listen in to be more confident making your next financial move. The goal here is to give us all ways to be more secure and confident in our financial decision-making, and to have a greater sense of well-being overall.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

Originally aired: August 19, 2025

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Hey everyone--welcome to your Financial Therapy for the week!

Today we're talking about three common ways we tend to make our financial lives more difficult without even realizing it...and how we can make a change. Being more mindful about how our biases and behaviors can negatively affect our financial -- and emotional -- wellness can free us up to do things differently.

The goal here is to give us all ways to be more secure and confident in our financial decision-making, and to have a greater sense of well-being overall.

Call or text to submit your feedback and questions for the show: 1-844-4FINPOD (1-844-434-6763)

#budgetsareboundaries #financialtherapy #personalfinance