The Financial Therapy Podcast - It's Not Just About The Money

Hosted by Rick Kahler

Business Education Health Fitness

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Episodes

229

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Most financial experts focus solely on numbers, but Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, takes a deeper approach. With over 40 years of experience, Rick blends practical financial advice with powerful emotional insights to help you understand why you make the money decisions you do. Research shows that 90% of our financial choices are driven by emotions—not logic. Whether your habits seem irrational or confusing, Rick helps uncover the underlying beliefs and feelings influencing your behavior. It's about more than just building wealth; it’s about understanding the emotions that shape every financial decision. Tune in to The Financial Therapy Podcast to discover how better emotional awareness can lead to smarter financial choices. Explore more at thefinancialtherapypodcast.com .

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 18, 2026Episode 23029 min

#230 Your Parts Are Running Your Dating Life — Not You

Most people go into a relationship hoping chemistry is enough — Dr. Kristine Anthis has sat with enough couples in deep pain to know it isn't. In this conversation with Rick Kahler, the IFS-trained psychologist and certified matchmaker reveals what traditional matchmaking almost never touches: the internal parts that choose our partners for us, and the money scripts quietly running the relationship before the first date ends. She describes a woman who keeps almost signing up, always one career milestone away from being ready for love, and you can feel the protector in the room. Rick and Kristine are building something the field has never seen: an emotional and financial compatibility framework designed to prevent the rupture that couples therapy has to repair years too late. What if the person you chose wasn't really chosen by you? #DrKristineAnthis, #KristineAnthis, #RickKahler, #FinancialTherapy, #InternalFamilySystems, #IFS, #MoneyScripts, #RelationshipPsychology, #CouplesTherapy, #RelationshipCompatibility, #EmotionalCompatibility, #FinancialCompatibility, #Matchmaking, #DatingAdvice, #HealthyRelationships, #MoneyMindset, #FinancialPsychology, #PsychologyOfMoney, #LoveAndMoney, #RelationshipGoals A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

August 4, 2026Episode 22930 min

#229 She Hit Her Freedom Number — and Nothing Got Better

Prudence Zhu did everything right. She grew up in China, worked private equity in West Africa, earned an MBA, built a career in corporate finance, invested in real estate and stocks, and spent decades working toward her freedom number. Then she hit it — and nothing changed. The problems she thought money would solve were still there, sharper than ever. In this conversation with Rick Kahler, the certified financial therapist and author of A Couples Guide to Money unpacks what that anti-climactic moment taught her about the difference between financial knowledge and financial healing. She introduces her three-tier money scripts framework — what you believe alone, what you believe as a couple, and what culture and family wired into both of you long before you met. Hitting your number isn't the finish line. For a lot of people, it's where the real work finally begins. #PrudenceZhu, #RickKahler, #FinancialTherapy, #MoneyScripts, #FreedomNumber, #FinancialFreedom, #FinancialHealing, #MoneyMindset, #BehavioralFinance, #FinancialPsychology, #CouplesAndMoney, #MoneyBeliefs, #FinancialWellness, #WealthMindset, #PersonalFinance, #FinancialIndependence, #PsychologyOfMoney, #MoneyAndRelationships, #FinancialGrowth, #FinancialEducation A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

July 21, 2026Episode 22831 min

#228 Adult Children—Who’s Watching Your Parents’ Money?

Rick Kahler spotlights the overlooked impact of a daily money manager through Maggie Knowles’ in-home work with seniors—where the real value isn’t just paying bills, but serving as an emotionally attuned gatekeeper. Sitting at kitchen tables, she catches costly errors, notices subtle shifts, and brings awareness to decisions that others—planners, accountants, even family—rarely see. In that space, trust becomes everything. With no authority to decide, she instead guides, reflects, and raises flags when something feels off, blending practical oversight with emotional intelligence. The result is a unique layer of protection and clarity—helping seniors stay independent longer while ensuring their financial lives remain grounded, visible, and cared for in ways traditional roles simply don’t provide. #RickKahler, #MaggieKnowles, #DailyMoneyManager, #SeniorCare, #AgingInPlace, #FinancialCaregiving, #FinancialWellness, #MoneyManagement, #SeniorFinancialCare, #FinancialProtection, #ElderCare, #FinancialPlanning, #CareCoordination, #FinancialOversight, #FraudPrevention, #FinancialSecurity, #MoneyAndAging, #IndependentLiving, #TrustedAdvisor, #BehavioralFinance, #EmotionalIntelligence, #ClientCare, #FinancialAdvocacy, #ElderFinancialSafety, #PersonalFinance, #CaregiverSupport, #FinancialProfessionals, #AgingAdults, #LoveAndMoneyPodcast, #FinancialTherapy, A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

July 7, 2026Episode 22730 min

#227 - Witnessing Heals More Than You Think

What if the most powerful thing you could offer another person isn’t advice—but presence? In this conversation, Rick Kahler explores a profound shift in financial therapy through the lens of end-of-life work: the quiet power of “witnessing.” Drawing on insights from death doula Rose Zealand, he reveals how transformation doesn’t come from fixing—but from creating a space of non-judgment where clients feel fully seen. In that space, burdens begin to loosen on their own. The conversation also exposes a hidden truth about burnout: it’s not just doing too much—it’s what helpers don’t process. Ultimately, growth isn’t a technique, but an ongoing practice of doing your own work before holding space for others. #RickKahler, #RoseZealand, #FinancialTherapy, #DeathDoula, #EndOfLifePlanning, #Witnessing, #HoldingSpace, #ClientCare, #EmotionalWellness, #MoneyAndEmotions, #BehavioralFinance, #FinancialWellness, #CompassionateCare, #PersonalGrowth, #SelfAwareness, #BurnoutPrevention, #MentalHealth, #HelpingProfessionals, #FinancialAdvisor, #TherapeuticPractice, #EmotionalIntelligence, #MindfulLeadership, #ProfessionalDevelopment, #ClientRelationships, #HumanConnection, #TransformationalGrowth, #NonJudgment, #FinancialProfessionals, #LoveAndMoneyPodcast, #HealingAndGrowth, A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

June 23, 2026Episode 22629 min

#226 - The Labor of Dying

What if the hardest financial planning work isn’t about numbers—but sitting with someone who’s dying? Rose Zealand reframes birth and death as parallel forms of “labor,” involving both the individual and their circle of care. She exposes a critical gap in traditional planning: when a midlife diagnosis hits, technical advice collides with shock and emotional shutdown. As both CFP® and death doula, she works in that space—where timing matters more than urgency. Push too fast, and clients retreat. Move with readiness, and real progress begins. Her insight is clear: money shapes care, but presence and trust determine whether planning can actually happen. #FinancialPlanning #FinancialTherapy #EstatePlanning #EndOfLifePlanning #DeathDoula #CFP #FinancialAdvisor #CarePlanning #LegacyPlanning #LifeTransitions #MoneyAndEmotions #BehavioralFinance #FinancialWellness #PersonalFinance #FinancialEducation #Caregiving #TrustAndPlanning #ClientRelationships #MidlifeTransitions #FinancialConversations #MoneyMatters #EmotionalWellbeing #WealthPlanning #FamilyCare #FinancialProfessionals #FuturePlanning #FinancialHealth #LifePlanning #RoseZealand #LoveAndMoneyPodcast A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

June 9, 2026Episode 22530 min

#225 - Training for the Moment Money Gets Messy

Under the leadership of Dr. Megan Ford, the University of Georgia is training the next generation of financial therapists in a way few institutions can. Inside the Love and Money Center, financial planning students and couple and family therapy students learn side by side—sometimes even sitting together with real clients as money stress and relationship conflict unfold in real time. Rather than separating numbers from emotions, Dr. Ford’s model teaches future professionals how deeply intertwined they are and how to collaborate when those worlds collide. With low- to no-cost services for the community and structured supervision for students, this isn’t just interdisciplinary education—it’s the intentional shaping of a new profession #FinancialTherapy #FinancialTherapist #MoneyAndRelationships #FinancialPlanning #CouplesTherapy #FamilyTherapy #BehavioralFinance #MoneyMindset #FinancialWellness #FinancialEducation #UniversityOfGeorgia #FutureOfFinance #MoneyStress #RelationshipHealth #PersonalFinance A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

May 26, 2026Episode 22430 min

#224 How IFS Helps Financial Planners Create Real Change

Why do smart, capable people ignore advice they genuinely believe is good for them? In this episode, Joy Slabaugh—a CFP® and Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist—joins the conversation to explore why behavior change rarely comes from better information alone. Joy explains how IFS helps financial planners understand the internal conflicts people experience around money, and why working with “parts” often succeeds where logic, pressure, and persuasion fail. The discussion reframes the advisor’s role—not as fixing or convincing—but as facilitating self-led clarity, trust, and follow-through, offering a powerful framework that benefits both the people seeking help and the professionals who serve them. #financialtherapy, #behavioralfinance, #moneymindset, #internalfamilysystems, #IFStherapy, #moneypsychology, #financialplanning, #advisorlife, #clientbehavior, #behaviorchange, #emotionalintelligence, #selfleadership, #mindsetmatters, #moneyhabits, #financialwellness, #trusttheprocess, #innerwork, #clientrelationships, #financialadvisor, #psychologyofmoney, #decisionmaking, #humanbehavior, #moneycoaching, #professionaldevelopment, #advisorypractice A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

May 12, 2026Episode 22329 min

#223 The Financial Industry’s Blind Spot – Trauma – with Joy Slabough

What if some of our most persistent money problems aren’t budgeting issues at all—but trauma responses we’ve never named? This conversation pushes past polite financial talk and questions some deeply held beliefs: that healing has to hurt, that more money means more fulfillment, and that trauma is either everywhere or nowhere at all. Joy offers a sharp critique of both the financial industry’s emotional avoidance and the therapy world’s discomfort with money, arguing that both miss what’s actually happening in people’s nervous systems. The result is an unflinching look at how money becomes unsafe, why shame keeps people stuck, and how labeling—or mislabeling—trauma can either support healing or quietly sabotage it. #financialtherapy, #moneymindset, #moneytrauma, #traumainformed, #nervoussystem, #financialwellness, #emotionalwealth, #moneyandmentalhealth, #healingandmoney, #traumahealing, #moneybeliefs, #financialhealing, #shameandmoney, #psychologyofmoney, #mindsetshift, #innerwork, #emotionalintelligence, #wealthconsciousness, #moneyhabits, #financialfreedomjourney, #somatichealing, #selfawareness, #behavioralfinance, #moneystories, #healingjourney A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

April 28, 2026Episode 22230 min

#222 The Emotional Wiring Behind Every Money Decision with Ed Coambs

Money has a way of exposing parts of us we’d rather not see, and as Ed Coambs, CFP, CFT makes clear in this conversation, wealth doesn’t protect us from that. Together, Rick and Ed unpack why money anxiety grows right alongside income, how attachment styles quietly shape our financial decisions, and why couples keep having the same money fights no matter how smart or successful they are. Through personal stories and hard-earned insight, they reveal the uncomfortable true story behind money stress—it’s rarely about spreadsheets and strategies, and almost always about safety, shame, connection, and the emotional wiring we bring into every financial choice. #financialtherapy, #moneymindset, #moneyandrelationships, #attachmentstyles, #financialstress, #moneyanxiety, #couplesandmoney, #relationshipgoals, #emotionalintelligence, #behavioralfinance, #psychologyofmoney, #mentalhealthawareness, #traumainformed, #innerwork, #healingjourney, #moneyhabits, #financialwellness, #wealthmindset, #financialplanning, #moneycoach, #selfawareness, #growthmindset, #therapytools, #couplestherapy, #communicationmatters, #moneystory, #financialhealth, #personalfinance, #emotionalhealth, #mindsetshift A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .

April 14, 2026Episode 22130 min

#221 How Your Enneagram Type Is Running Your Money

Most of our money struggles don’t start with numbers—they start with personality. In this conversation, Rick sits down with Khara Croswaite Brindle to explore how each Enneagram type relates to money in strikingly different ways. Achievers often tie worth to financial success, helpers give until their own security erodes, loyalists manage money through anxiety and vigilance, and enthusiasts stay focused on what’s next rather than what’s sustainable. Through stories, research, and lived experience, the discussion reveals that money behaviors are rarely about discipline or intelligence—they’re about protection. When we understand how our Enneagram type views safety, control, belonging, and freedom, money stops being a moral issue and becomes an invitation to self-awareness and compassion. #financialtherapy, #moneymindset, #enneagram, #enneagramtypes, #personalgrowth, #selfawareness, #moneystory, #behavioralfinance, #emotionalintelligence, #mentalhealthmatters, #therapytools, #innerwork, #healingjourney, #moneyhabits, #financialwellness, #mindsetshift, #traumainformed, #selfcompassion, #growthmindset, #moneymindsetcoach, #therapistsupport, #burnoutrecovery, #financialhealth, #psychologyofmoney, #wealthmindset, #personaldevelopment, #consciousliving, #moneyandemotions, #enneagramcoach, #financialfreedom A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values. .