Behavior Gap Radio

Most people didn’t choose their relationship with money—it was installed by accident. In this short episode, Carl unpacks how our money stories get shaped by childhood, culture, and random moments… and how those unexamined stories still run the show. The good news? You can rewrite the code.

Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl invites us to imagine a different kind of financial tool—one with a soul. Instead of pushing speed and convenience, what if your banking app paused to ask, “Is this you? Is this what you really want?” Not to judge, but to remind. What if every purchase included a breath—a moment of alignment? Soul and humanity at the center of your spending.

Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl reframes the idea of “managing money” by asking a bold question: What if the real work isn’t about money at all? What if it’s about rewriting the invisible code running in the background—those old stories, patterns, and emotions driving your decisions? Because let’s be honest… you don’t need another budget. You need better code.

Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl challenges the endless flood of financial advice by asking a deeper question: What if the problem isn’t that you don’t know what to do, but that you don’t know why you keep doing something else? Real change doesn’t come from another tip or trick—it comes from awareness. From pausing long enough to get underneath the behavior and uncover the belief driving it. That’s the shift, from advice to transformation.

Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl continues exploring the idea of an emotional operating system for your financial life by asking: What if money is a mirror? A mirror that reflects not just numbers, but your fears, values, upbringing, and culture. Most of us were handed that mirror without ever being taught how to look into it, so we flinch, avoid, or judge. But what if we could learn to look with curiosity instead of shame? That’s the work.

Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl introduces the idea he’s been wrestling with for nearly two decades: building an emotional operating system for your financial life. Money isn’t just numbers—it’s loaded with meaning, emotion, and identity. From love to shame and status to fear, Carl explores why money keeps us up at night and why asking how it feels might matter more than any spreadsheet ever could.

Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

We’ve all heard it: “More money, more problems.” But what if that’s only one way to see it? In this episode, I share a conversation with Rabbi Shira Stutman that helped shift my perspective from viewing money as a burden to seeing it as a tool for possibility. It’s a simple lens change… but it might just change everything, especially if you’ve ever felt guilty, ashamed, or stressed about wanting more.

This isn’t just about money.

It’s about how we see the world:

Problems… or possibilities?

A real email exchange about a home repair gone wrong reveals something deeper: how writing without curiosity—especially when we’re certain we’re right—can turn a simple message into emotional kindling.

If you're frustrated by bottlenecks in your projects, teams, or creative work... look closer. It might be you. In this episode, Carl shares why that's actually good news—and how entrepreneurship, at its best, is a brutal but beautiful path to personal growth.

We all say money can't buy happiness. But deep down, are we hoping it can remove our unhappiness? In this episode, Carl flips the script—and asks what hole we're really trying to fill.