Hoarding Disorder: It’s More Than Just an Obsession - Implications for Financial Therapists and Planners

Compulsive hoarders feel emotional attachments to their money and possessions, making it difficult for them to spend or discard accumulated items. Traditionally, hoarding has been seen as a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). However, hoarding behavior can be a problem in its own right, without someone meeting the diagnostic criteria for OCD or OCPD. Despite being a mental health disorder that poses a serious public health problem, social costs to the public, and strain on families, there is little empirical work that has examined Hoarding Disorder (HD) from a financial perspective. As with other money disorders, for the compulsive hoarder, financial health and mental health symptoms are intertwined. This paper explores the financial psychology of HD and its implications for personal financial planning

Money Beliefs and Financial Behaviors: Development of the Klontz Money Script Inventory

Financial matters have been identified in the literature as a significant source of stress for individuals and families. However, little is known about the psychological issues related to money that may be contributing to individual and family problems. Using a sample of 422 individuals who identified their level of agreement on 72 money-related beliefs, this study identified four distinct money belief patterns. Three of these belief systems were significantly correlated with income and net worth. Demographic features associated with the four money belief scales are provided. The results of this study may be useful for practitioners interested in quickly and accurately identifying money beliefs in their clients that can have a negative impact on financial health

Tactical Asset Management or Financial Trauma?: Why the Abandonment of Buy-and-Hold May be a Symptom of Posttraumatic Stress

The purpose of this study was to measure the psychological impact of the 2008 financial crisis on financial planners. Recent surveys of financial advisors have confirmed a fundamental shift away from strategic management in favor of tactical management, with planners reporting having had made on average 2.15 adjustments in the past 12 months to take advantage of market changes (FPA 2012 Trends in Investing Study, 2012), and 83% of financial planners planning to make at least one tactical adjustment within the next three months (Veres, 2012). This article explores the psychological impact of the 2008 financial crisis on financial planners, measuring symptoms of posttraumatic stress and related changes in belief systems as a result of the crisis. In the months following the 2008 crisis, 93% of the planners surveyed reported medium to high levels of posttraumatic stress. We hypothesize that while the acute psychological distress has diminished the cognitive changes have persisted and may ultimately put the financial health of clients at risk

Money Disorders and Locus of Control: Implications for Assessment and Treatment

Research has implicated locus of control (LOC) as a factor in the development of psychological disorders, but few studies have examined how LOC relates to money disorders, which occur when stress surrounding money negatively impacts financial health. The present study utilized hierarchical regression to examine how select demographic factors and LOC contribute to 7 distinct money disorders among a sample of 164 college students. Results demonstrate that the link between external LOC and money disorders is stronger than indicated by previous research. Unlike demographic factors, which are static and were not found to predict money disorders in the present study, LOC is amenable to change, and both financial planners and mental health professionals may wish to incorporate locus of control into assessment and intervention

Financial Enmeshment: Untangling the Web

. Children learn through observing and interacting with their parents. Much of what children learn about money comes from these observations and interactions. An area of concern in parent – child relationships is the impact of boundaries and roles. Parents whose boundaries with their children are rigid and inflexible do not prepare their children to effectively deal with stress in their lives. Similarly, parents whose boundaries are too flexible may impede their children’s ability to develop appropriate coping skills. This is true of their development of personal finance, money, consumption, and debt coping skills. Financial enmeshment occurs when parents involve their children in adult financial matters before the children are cognitively and emotionally ready to cope with the information. Financial enmeshment may have a negative effect on the child’s development. Financial enmeshment can be addressed through financial therapy. This paper explores the dynamic of financial enmeshment and discusses tools available to financial professionals to help identify the dynamic and structure interventions

Internal Consistency and Convergent Validity of the Klontz Money Behavior Inventory (KMBI)

The Klontz Money Behavior Inventory (KMBI) is a standalone, multi-scale measure than can screen for the presence of eight distinct money disorders. Given the well-established relationship between mental health and financial behaviors, results from the KMBI can be used to inform both mental health care professionals and financial planners. The present study examined the internal consistency and convergent validity of the KMBI, through comparison with similar measures, among a sample of college students (n = 232). Results indicate that the KMBI demonstrates acceptable internal consistency reliability and some convergence for most subscales when compared to other analogous measures. These findings highlight a need for literature and assessments to identify and describe disordered money behaviors

The Effectiveness of an Interactive Multimedia Psychoeducational Approach to Improve Financial Competence in At-Risk Youth: A Pilot Study

In recent years, a growing number of initiatives have been aimed at increasing financial literacy among youth in America. However, these efforts have tended to target mainstream populations, and failing to adequately address the backgrounds, learning, and psychological needs of at-risk youth. This study piloted a curriculum on money management that presented a basic set of financial skills via story situations and characters that are meaningful to at-risk youth using a dynamic interactive multimedia online delivery to heighten youths’ interest to learn. The approach also helped at-risk youth gain insight into their money beliefs and psychological barriers to success, integrating change theory and techniques designed to enhance their motivation to change. Eighty-eight Job Corps participants were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Results showed that the interactive multimedia curriculum produced significant gains in youth’s financial knowledge and confidence in money management skills

Reliability and Convergent Validity of the Klontz Money Script Inventory-Revised (KMSI-R)

Few contemporary, empirically-based instruments exist to assess attitudes and beliefs about money despite a large research base linking mental health outcomes to financial beliefs. An abbreviated form of the Klontz Money Script Inventory (KMSI), the Klontz Money Script Inventory-Revised (KMSI-R), has been developed to inform mental health practitioners and financial advisors about the money attitudes and beliefs of their clients using an empirically-based instrument. This study examined the technical adequacy of the KMSI-R among a sample of college students (n = 326). Results indicate high reliability for the KMSI-R as well as weak-to-moderate positive correlations when compared to the Money Attitude Scales

The Financial Health of Mental Health Professionals

Recent research has suggested that mental health professionals may be at greater risk of endorsing money scripts associated with lower income, lower net worth, and problematic financial behaviors. This study more closely examined the financial health of mental health professionals using the Klontz-Britt Financial Health Scale (FHS). Data was collected from 264 individuals recruited through financial seminars given by the researchers and through social media. Results indicated that when compared to other occupations, mental health professionals report significantly lower levels of financial health. Regardless of occupation, money status and money worship scripts were associated with lower levels of financial health, while money vigilance scripts were associated with higher levels of financial health. These results are of interest to financial counselors and educators to inform their work with those in the mental health profession who may be at greater risk of lower financial health

Tactical Asset Management or Financial Trauma?: Why the Abandonment of Buy-and-Hold May be a Symptom of Posttraumatic Stress

<p>The purpose of this study was to measure the psychological impact of the 2008 financial crisis on financial planners. Recent surveys of financial advisors have confirmed a fundamental shift away from strategic management in favor of tactical management, with planners reporting having had made on average 2.15 adjustments in the past 12 months to take advantage of market changes (FPA 2012 Trends in Investing Study, 2012), and 83% of financial planners planning to make at least one tactical adjustment within the next three months (Veres, 2012). This article explores the psychological impact of the 2008 financial crisis on financial planners, measuring symptoms of posttraumatic stress and related changes in belief systems as a result of the crisis. In the months following the 2008 crisis, 93% of the planners surveyed reported medium to high levels of posttraumatic stress. We hypothesize that while the acute psychological distress has diminished the cognitive changes have persisted and may ultimately put the financial health of clients at risk.</p&gt