Money is one of the last taboos among high-achieving adults.
We equate being “good with money” with discipline, intelligence, even worth.
So when the numbers don’t add up, it doesn’t just feel inconvenient — it feels personal.
We quietly measure ourselves by our net worth, our savings, our investments… or the absence of them. And for adults with ADHD, those measurements can become a private source of shame. https://lyndahoffman.com/adhd-coaching-in-montreal/
That shame is powerful enough to keep even the most accomplished professionals silent.
Eve — a highly successful leader with ADHD — told me her financial struggles were lifelong. Not because she lacked intelligence or drive. But because each misstep chipped away at her sense of self.
It made no sense to her.
Brilliant. Analytical. Creative.
Earning an excellent income — yet living paycheck to paycheck.
She described herself as “financially illiterate.”
Despite awards. Despite leadership. Despite proof of her competence.
I see this every day in my practice: talented adults with ADHD who don’t feel like adults because money never seems to be there when they need it.
As Eve said,
“If you can’t manage $10, how do you manage $10,000?”
Eve knew she had ADHD. Not everyone does.
When you don’t understand your brain, you create stories to explain the struggle:
“I’m stupid.”
“I’ll never figure this out.”
“This is just who I am.”
But even the smartest person will struggle financially if their executive functions are under strain.
Executive functions are the brain-based skills that help you direct behaviour toward a goal. When they’re compromised, money becomes emotional. https://lyndahoffman.com/why-am-i-not-succeeding-4-steps-to-strengthen-your-executive-functioning-skills/
Impulse spending.
Using shopping to self-soothe.
Generosity that feels right in the moment but painful later.
Forgetting your best intentions the second something shiny appears.
This isn’t about knowledge. It’s about regulation.
Eve didn’t lack financial intelligence. She struggled with focus, impulsivity, emotional regulation, and follow-through.
And here’s the good news:
Financial ability is a skill.
Executive functioning is a skill.
Skills can be strengthened.
If money has felt confusing,
inconsistent, or shame-inducing,
start here — with your brain.
5 Executive Functions That Directly Relate to Your Financial Wellbeing
Planning/Prioritizing
Decide ahead what you want to create with your money and why.
Ask yourself:
- What do I want money to give me?
- What makes this ‘want’ matter so much to me?
- How much money do I need to fulfill this ‘want’?
Working Memory
When it comes to your money, working memory supports you in remembering your financial goals – in the moment. You’re holding in mind all the options you have available to you – before you spend.
Ask yourself:
- What key phrase will help me remember my goal and why it matters to me?
- What situations might make me forget my goal?
- What visual strategy can I use to ‘see’ my goal every day?
Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation is the ability to control your emotions so they don’t run you.
When you’re feeling strong emotions, you may feel compelled to act on them regardless of your financial goals. This can look like choosing to spend your way out of a painful feeling or toward a fantastic one!
Ask yourself:
- What needs am I trying to meet by shopping for things I don’t need?
- What might I be avoiding by buying X?
- What practices will help me soothe myself more effectively?
Inhibition
Inhibition puts the brake on your urges. It literally prevents you from crashing into the same spending patterns.
Ask yourself:
- What will help me pause before I spend – anything?
- What do I believe about the act of pausing that might get in my way?
What is the best question to ask myself when I do pause before spending?
Self-Monitoring
Self-monitoring is the ability to watch yourself in action. If you don’t see yourself from the outside, you‘ll act from the inside of an emotion.
Ask yourself:
- Am I on track for my financial goals?
- What am I focused on right now? Meeting a need? My larger goal?
- What choice am I about to make? Will it serve me?
Understand your executive functions, and money stops being a character flaw. It becomes a system you design.
You are not bad with money.
You just need a strategy that works with your brain.
Where do you want to begin?
Let’s have the conversation.
Lost your Zing? Re-awaken Your Executive Essence
