How to stop spending too much at Christmas
How to stop spending too much at Christmas. Christmas is by far the busiest time of the year for shopping and many of us deal with the pressure and financial stress of the annual retail frenzy with an increasingly popular new behaviour – self-gifting. If you’re not familiar with the concept of self-gifting, you might […]
Happy holidays: stress less with mindfulness this Christmas
Happy holidays: stress less with mindfulness this Christmas. Christmas and the holidays are mostly feelgood times. At least the ideas behind them are positive, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t stressful. Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr Michael Takagi, says there’s plenty of evidence to show stress comes from happy occasions too: “Planning a wedding is a joyful, […]
Want to avoid financial stress: ask yourself these questions
Want to avoid financial stress: ask yourself these questions. There’s never been so many options for accessing cash quickly as there are today, and that’s very appealing around this time of year – especially this year, with many more people unemployed as a result of the ‘pandemic induced’ economic disruption. Nobody wants to be in […]
The real cost of gift-giving: financial stress – part 3
The real cost of gift-giving: financial stress – part 3. In ancient history giving gifts began as part of the ritual of worship and over the centuries it has morphed into a show of appreciation. In the age of mass consumerism gift-giving has become an expensive habit too, especially in holiday season. While most of us […]
The real costs of gift-giving: Financial stress – part 2
The real costs of gift-giving: Financial stress – part 2. Who wants to buy something special for their partner, relative, friend or colleague on Black Friday or this Christmas? It’s a thoughtful idea given how tough 2020 has been – with bushfires, then the COVID-19 pandemic, various lockdowns and financial stress coming at Australians in […]
The real cost of gift-giving: Financial stress – part 1
The real cost of gift-giving: Financial stress – part 1. The tinsel and decorations are still under the stairs, but now is the time to think ahead so that you don’t join millions of Australians saddled repaying holiday debt well into 2021. One of the leading pressures on many people’s already-strained financial position is the […]
Mindfulness and the Sunk Cost Bias
Understanding the Sunk-Cost Fallacy If you’ve ever persisted with a dead-end job, loveless relationship, or regrettable university degree, hoping it will somehow improve, or ‘chased your losses’ by doubling down, this article is for you, Mindfulness and the Sunk Cost Bias.
Financial mindfulness
Financial mindfulness. The term mindfulness is used a lot in relation to meditation and psychological therapies to describe being aware and paying attention. But what is financial mindfulness? Financial mindfulness is simply described as having awareness and paying attention to your finances and financial behaviours. It means more than being money smart or financially savvy, as […]
Financial stress is widespread
Financial stress is widespread Money worries are common. They existed before COVID-19 and now with changes in our employment and society, financial stress has become more widespread. The Australian Psychological Society reports that financial stress is one of the major causes of stress in adults, and recently published research on the Financial Stress Index (FSI) […]
Australians distressed and acting aggressively to others
Australians distressed and acting aggressively to others. These are the findings from the latest Financial Mindfulness Financial Stress Index (FSI) report which has tracked financial stress in detail over the last 12 months and captured the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 2.29 million Australians are experiencing levels of financial stress that reduce their […]