Navigating the sometimes treacherous waters of personal finance feels a lot like trying to sail without a map for many of us. We’ve all seen the endless stream of expert advice on budgeting smarter, investing wiser, and saving more. Even armed with the best financial plans and tools, what really makes or breaks our success is the stuff happening between our ears — our behaviors, habits, and, you guessed it, our attitudes toward money.
Diving into the psychology behind why we spend the way we do can be a game-changer. It’s like suddenly understanding why you can’t resist adding just one more thing to your online shopping cart or why the idea of saving feels more like a chore than a choice.
This post originally appeared at The Motley Fool.