Austin welcomes Angie Carlson, a financial coach with over 20 years of experience in finance, including a decade as a financial aid director. Angie owns Carlson Financial Coaching and specializes in helping clients manage their finances through better money communication, particularly among couples.

Angie shares her personal experience of overcoming financial struggles with her husband, emphasizing that their success came from improving their communication rather than simply following a budget. They paid off significant debt and managed financial crises by agreeing on priorities and refining their approach through experimentation. She believes in making incremental changes rather than overhauling everything at once, and stresses the importance of understanding each other’s perspectives and motivations.

Key Points and Quotes Highlighted:

Here are the three main points summarized from Episode 87 of “The Heart of Money”:

  1. Improving Money Communication: Angie Carlson emphasizes that the key to overcoming financial struggles, especially for couples, is improving communication about money. This involves understanding each other’s perspectives and finding common ground, even if it’s just agreeing that the current approach isn’t working.
  2. Positive Thinking and Practical Strategies: Focusing on positive aspects and what is working can shift the mindset from identifying problems to finding solutions. Angie highlights the importance of starting with agreements and experimenting with small changes, which can lead to better financial outcomes and reduced stress in relationships.
  3. Root Issues Beyond Budgeting: Financial coaching often reveals that underlying mental and emotional issues, such as fear of making wrong decisions and past failures, are the real barriers to effective budgeting and financial stability. Addressing these deeper issues is crucial for achieving long-term financial success.

“I am not going to go in and tell you to pull your kid out of every sport or private school. Any plan I put together with that, you’re not going to follow anyway. We all lose.”

“We’ve been putting band-aids on broken bones. No wonder the bone ain’t healing. So let’s get the bone to heal.”

“Changing everything is really hard. I’d rather change one or two things and make my life easier than try to go in and blow everything up and start over.”

“Financial coaching often unearths that the real obstacles to effective budgeting and financial stability are deep-seated mental and emotional issues, such as fear of making wrong decisions and dealing with past failures.”

Ready to take the next step in gaining control over your money? 

  1. Download the “6 Secrets to Healthy Money Conversations” guide 
  2. Register for my FREE masterclass “Financial Freedom Blueprint” here

Or

  1. Schedule a FREE Discovery Call to determine if you would benefit from 1:1 coaching