Regardless of our preferences, money is a heavy deciding factor in our lives and it’s crucial for us to recognize that our stewardship of money really is a reflection of our individual personality.
Most of us can relate to a number of profiles, yet one tends to be predominant. Understanding which personality type best fits us is important since it has an impact on our relationships regarding money matters.
By design, the following personalities present these attitudes at an extreme level, so finding a perfect fit is unnecessary. Pause a moment to see which ones you relate to, and which resonates the most with you.
(Also note that although each personality type has a gender-specific name, all the following types apply to both males and females.)
i. Sam The Slob
Sam finds it very difficult to get organized, so he deals with a fair amount of clutter. Financial life is often chaotic and a source of problems, especially in marriage.
ii. People-person Paula
Relationships mean everything to Paula. She finds it difficult to make managing her finances a priority.
“Don’t bother me with all those details,” she says.
She’s often very generous – sometimes to a fault. While these traits are endearing, they can lead to the same problems Sam the Slob runs into.
iii. Suzy Spender
Suzy gets tremendous short-term emotional satisfaction from buying things for herself and others. She often spends more than she has – and not necessarily on health priorities. She doesn’t think of the consequences of this overspending until a lot of damage is done.
iv. Harry The Hoarder
Harry is like the squirrel with his money – he stashes it away, but not necessarily for appropriate needs. The hoarding is often done out of his desire to develop a sense of security. He borders on stingy by holding too tightly to what he has.
v. Wilbert The Winner
Wilbert considers money a game. He wants to stay ahead of the Joneses and plays to win. Wilbert will often be a person of substantial accomplishment, but his drive needs to be tempered by the motive of love rather than the desire to be number one.
vi. Paul The Penny-Pincher
Paul does a great job of watching over the pennies, whether through the use of coupons or watching out for special sales. But Paul fails to look at the larger picture. He may be using coupons, but he can still be overspending. More importantly, he may not have taken the time to set godly priorities.
Can personality be changed? Can our inherent traits be improved upon?
How do we improve ourselves after identifying our money personality?
Find an accountable partner who has a different personality type, and work together with honesty to be stronger in your financial areas of weakness.
It can be quite exhilarating to working together with a partner whose strengths and weaknesses complement yours. On the bright side is that you’ll both grow together, and become stronger over time, and you’ll both have a priceless enriching relationship that proves to hold exponential growth.
Discussion about this post