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Behavior Gap Radio

Behavior Gap Radio

670 episodes — Page 5 of 14

Ep 13311331 | No. 20 "Enough Is Enough"

This essay is from my new book, "Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in Simple Sketches."It’s called “Enough Is Enough,” and in this episode, I unpack how we confuse more with better—and what it really means to have enough. It’s a story about investing, dessert, and clarity. Because enough can't be a number. If enough is a number, you'll never have enough. Enough is actually a state of being that we have to practice. This is my behind-the-scenes thinking that shaped essay #20 in the new book coming out in October 2025.This is the essay:We don’t know when to stop.I include myself in that.Sometimes, I stop by the grocery store, buy a pint of ice cream, and eat it.That’s right. The whole thing.I’ve noticed a predictable pattern when I do this:Bite 1: Best thing ever.Bites 2–10: Really good.Bites 11–15: Good.Bites 16–20: Meh.Bites 21+: I’m sick.I keep repeating this experiment, hoping for a different result.This behavior is called diminishing marginal utility. It’s not just about ice cream, but getting more of anything.Beyond a certain point, more stops making you feel better. If you keep going, more makes you sick.More becomes “too much.”The secret isn’t getting more.It’s knowing when to stop.🎁 Want a preview of the book?Email [email protected] with the subject line "Friend of Carl" and we’ll send you seven of my favorite sketches and essays in the book.📚 Pre-order now:My recommendation? One copy from Amazon and one from your favorite local bookstore!• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Reimagining-Wealth-Sketches/dp/1804091715• Local bookstores: https://bookshop.org/p/books/your-money-reimagining-wealth-in-97-simple-sketches-carl-richards/22111257?ean=9781804091715• Bulk orders (25+ copies) — Use code YourMoney5 at checkout for an additional 5% off the already discounted bulk order pricing: https://bulkbooks.com/products/your-money-reimagining-wealth-in-simple-sketches

Aug 19, 20254 min

Ep 13301330 | No. 10 "Life Meets Money"

This essay might be one of the most important from my new book, "Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in Simple Sketches."It’s called "Life Meets Money" and it’s about what really drives good financial decisions. Not markets. Not headlines. But the messy, human stuff underneath: goals, timing, fear, meaning.This is my behind-the-scenes thinking that shaped essay #10 in the new book coming out in October 2025.This is the essay:Good financial decisions happen at the intersection of what’s going on in your life and what’s going on in the markets and the economy.We start with a simple question. Then we get into the details, the nuances, the exceptions and trade-offs. Suddenly, things get very complicated.It’s complicated because two complex forces collide: your life and the markets. That intersection is where every good financial decision is made.🎁 Want a preview of the book?Email [email protected] with the subject line "Friend of Carl" and we’ll send you 7 of my favorite sketches and essays in the book.📚 Pre-order now:My recommendation? One copy from Amazon, one from your favorite local bookstore!• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Reimagining-Wealth-Sketches/dp/1804091715• Bulk orders (25+ copies) — Use code YourMoney5 at checkout for an additional 5% off the already discounted bulk order pricing: https://bulkbooks.com/products/your-money-reimagining-wealth-in-simple-sketches

Aug 1, 20254 min

Ep 13291329 | The Minimum Effective Dose of Money

In this episode, Carl asks a provocative question: What’s the minimum effective dose of money? Just like medicine or exercise, more isn’t always better, and sometimes it’s harmful. Instead of chasing endless income, Carl invites us to define the results we actually want—freedom, security, joy—and then ask: What’s the least amount of money needed to get there? Because maybe the most radical act in a world obsessed with more is to say, “That’s enough”… and mean it.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/

Jul 10, 20257 min

Ep 13281328 | The Comparison Audit

In this episode, Carl shares three quick stories—a successful entrepreneur feeling like a failure, a heartfelt compliment from his daughter, and a wildly accomplished friend still stuck in comparison. The punchline? Comparison is the thief of joy. But unlike most thieves, this one can be stopped. Carl invites you to join him in a “comparison audit” by asking: Who are you letting on your mental scoreboard—and why?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/

Jul 9, 20254 min

Ep 13271327 | The New Superpower: General Resilience

In this episode, Carl explores the quiet panic so many of us are feeling about the future, especially young adults and the parents who love them. From canceled programs to crumbling plans, what do you do when the ground keeps shifting? Carl makes the case for a new kind of planning, one rooted not in certainty but in resilience. Not prepping for one disaster but building a foundation that helps you ride whatever wave comes next.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/

Jul 8, 20255 min

Ep 13261326 | Connection Is the New Luxury

In a world of AI-generated books, endless content, and virtual everything… maybe the rarest thing isn’t more information—it’s real human connection. In this episode, Carl asks a provocative question: What if the answer isn’t to become more like a machine, but more like a human?Because connection—the kind that happens face-to-face, heart-to-heart—is becoming increasingly rare… and increasingly valuable.Connection is the new luxury.

Jul 7, 20256 min

Ep 13251325 | Independent, But Not Alone

What does independence really mean? In this special Independence Day episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl unpacks the myth of the self-made person and explores the deeper truth: Real freedom isn’t about doing it all alone. It’s about knowing when to stand on your own—and when to lean on others.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/

Jul 4, 20254 min

Ep 13241324 | Money Is a Cheap Shortcut

What if money is just a cheap shortcut? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl shares a story about grandma’s dinner and explores the deeper forms of value we often overlook—like friendship, generosity, and shared purpose. Sometimes writing a check is the easy way out. But what if there’s something more valuable than money?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/

Jul 3, 20257 min

Ep 13231323 | Organizing Our Lives Around Money

What’s at the center of your life? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl explores the idea that, for many of us, money has quietly become the organizing principle around which everything else revolves. But what if we chose something else? Family? Time? Meaning? It's worth asking.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/

Jul 2, 20253 min

Ep 13221322 | Be Less Normal

What if the problem isn’t you—it’s what we’ve been told is normal? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl challenges our deeply held assumptions about money, enoughness, and the quiet madness of chasing what everyone else is chasing. Maybe the real goal is to be a little less normal… and a little more weird.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/

Jul 1, 20254 min

Ep 13211321 | But Wait… What's the Burn Rate of the Fire?

In this episode, Carl revisits his favorite money metaphor—gathering wood for a fire—and adds a new layer: What kind of fire are you building? A small cabin fire or a 10,000-square-foot mountain lodge bonfire? The size of the fire changes everything. From burn rate to outflow, Carl explores how the metaphors we use shape the way we think about money and invites you to send him your own.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/

Jun 30, 20254 min

Ep 13201320 | The Mirror and the Scoreboard

In this episode, Carl explores the subtle but dangerous shift from treating money as a scoreboard to letting it become a mirror. When net worth stops being just a business metric and starts reflecting our fears, stories, and sense of self-worth, things get messy. What if the number isn’t telling you how you’re doing—but who you think you are?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/

Jun 27, 20253 min

Ep 13191319 | The Greatest Money Trick

In this episode, Carl flips the script on everything we think we want from money. We don’t actually want money—we want what we think it will give us: safety, love, approval, and enoughness. And here’s the twist: you can feel those things before the numbers change. What if money isn’t the enemy or the goal… but the trick that wakes us up from the collective delusion we’ve been living in?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/

Jun 26, 20252 min

Ep 13181318 | Money and Mistaken Belief

In this episode, Carl challenges one of the deepest money myths out there: Money will finally make us feel safe, happy, or whole. He shares a core idea from his new book: You’re not bad with money, you’re just asking it to do the wrong job. From personal stories to a powerful quote by Austin Kleon, Carl unpacks how our suffering around money often stems from mistaken beliefs, not money itself. What if changing those beliefs could change everything?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/

Jun 25, 20257 min

Ep 13171317 | Gather More Wood

In this adventure journal episode, Carl shares a thought experiment that starts in a quiet cabin and ends with a radical reframing of how we think about money. What if money were like firewood—just fuel to keep things going? Not something to hoard, fear, or worship, but something to gather when needed, use wisely, and share freely. This isn't just a mindset shift—it's a new way of being. One rooted in trust, not scarcity.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/

Jun 23, 20255 min

Ep 13161316 | The Game We Can't Stop Playing

In this episode, Carl shares a raw segment from his new one-man show, built around two painfully honest sketches about envy and comparison. He reflects on the unspoken rules of the money game we all play—and what happens when someone dares to break them. From beaten-up minivans to Instagram-fueled status anxiety, this one’s about the stories we tell, the ones we’re afraid to admit, and the quiet power of saying four simple words: We can’t afford it.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/

Jun 20, 20256 min

Ep 13151315 | What Is Money, Anyway?

In this episode, Carl shares a raw, in-progress segment from his upcoming keynote. What if money is just a story we’ve all agreed to believe? A religion we all follow but no one admits to praying to? From Martians to mortgages, Carl invites us to step back and ask: When did we give money so much power?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/

Jun 19, 20255 min

Ep 13141314 | Money as an Agent of Chaos

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl returns from an accidental hiatus with a vulnerable reflection on why he keeps making the show—and why it matters that you share it. He relays a powerful idea from his recent conversation with author Austin Kleon: Money, up to a certain point, acts as a stabilizing force, but beyond that, it becomes an agent of chaos. If money walked into the room, what would you ask it?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/

Jun 18, 20254 min

Ep 13131313 | Deep Shift Ep. 3

In this episode of the Deep Shift series, Carl explores how tactical curiosity—like obsessing over budgeting apps or fueling strategies—often hides something deeper. What starts as a surface-level decision can lead to a powerful emotional insight. Maybe it's not about interest rates… maybe it's about fear, identity, or old family patterns. Carl walks us through why it’s easier to talk spreadsheets than shame—and how simply asking, “Why are you asking?” can crack open the truth.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/

Jun 9, 20258 min

Ep 13121312 | Deep Shift Ep. 2

In episode two of the Deep Shift series, Carl names the chase we all know too well: tactical curiosity. The frantic hunt for the perfect app, book, or tool isn’t really about solutions—it’s often a way to avoid the deeper, scarier questions. This episode invites you to pause the chase and ask, “What am I really trying to solve for?” Because awareness—not another download—is where real change begins.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/

Jun 6, 20255 min

Ep 13111311 | Deep Shift Ep. 1

In this first episode of a new series, Carl introduces the Deep Shift framework—his attempt to map the real journey of change. It’s not about picking the right tactic or finding more information, it’s about uncovering what’s blocking the doing. From tactical curiosity to deep ritual, Carl explores why lasting change starts below the surface… and invites you to walk through it with him.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/

Jun 5, 20253 min

Ep 13101310 | Be The Wise Money Friend

In this wrap-up to the Your Wise Money Friend series, Carl shares where the idea came from and why it matters. People don’t want another financial plan—they want to feel okay. They want someone to walk with, someone who listens with golden-retriever-level curiosity. In this episode, Carl challenges us to become that kind of friend: no agenda, no judgment, just love, presence, and deep curiosity. Turns out you don’t need to know anything about money to be a wise money friend. You just have to care.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/

Jun 4, 20255 min

Ep 13091309 | A Wise Money Friend Holds the Mirror Gently

In the final episode of the Your Wise Money Friend series, Carl reflects on what it means to hold the mirror gently. A wise money friend helps you see what’s really there—not with blame, but with compassion. It’s that rare mix of an empathetic hug and a well-timed kick in the butt. Because real clarity doesn’t come from shame—it comes from being seen, kindly.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/

Jun 3, 20251 min

Ep 13081308 | A Wise Money Friend Asks Better Questions

In episode nine of the Your Wise Money Friend series, Carl highlights a defining trait of true support: Instead of rushing to give answers, instead asking better questions. The kinds of questions that invite reflection, spark clarity, and open doors. Because real change doesn’t come from advice, it starts with curiosity.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/

Jun 2, 20251 min

Ep 13071307 | A Wise Money Friend Doesn’t Have an Agenda

In this episode of the Your Wise Money Friend series, Carl shares a simple but rare truth: A wise money friend doesn’t have an agenda. They’re not selling, fixing, or convincing. They’re just fully present—genuinely invested in your clarity. Once you’ve felt that kind of presence, you don’t forget it… and you stop settling for anything less.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/

May 30, 20250 min

Ep 13061306 | A Wise Money Friend Believes You’re Enough

In this episode, Carl continues the Your Wise Money Friend series with a powerful reminder: A wise money friend believes you are enough—even when you feel like you’ve screwed everything up. They don’t excuse your mistakes, they restore your dignity. Because real change doesn’t come from shame, it comes from remembering who you are.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/

May 29, 20252 min

Ep 13051305 | A Wise Money Friend Doesn’t Judge the Dream

In episode six of Your Wise Money Friend, Carl explores what it means to honor someone's dreams—big, small, wild, or vague—without judgment. A wise money friend doesn’t roll their eyes or ask, “When are you going to get a real job?” They lean in and say, “Tell me more.” This episode is about learning to hold space for dreams—our own and others’—with curiosity, not criticism. Because dreaming isn’t naive, it’s trust.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/

May 28, 20252 min

Ep 13041304 | A Wise Money Friend Respects Your Timing

In episode five of Your Wise Money Friend, Carl reflects on how true wisdom isn’t pushy. A wise money friend doesn’t rush your process or pressure your decisions—they wait with you. Because they know money decisions are rarely urgent, and often about something much deeper: identity, emotion, and transition.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/

May 27, 20251 min

Ep 13031303 | A Wise Money Friend Helps You Pause

In episode four of Your Wise Money Friend, Carl shares how a wise money friend helps you pause, not to stop you, but to give you space. Space between the impulse and the action. Space to breathe, to feel, and to choose. Because the point isn’t control—it’s clarity. And that little pause? That’s where alignment begins.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/

May 26, 20251 min

Ep 13021302 | A Wise Money Friend Knows It’s All Connected

In episode three of Your Wise Money Friend, Carl reminds us that to a wise money friend, your story is never just about money. They listen between the lines—because behind every financial decision is something deeper: fear, joy, dreams, love. A wise money friend knows it’s all connected, and that’s where the real conversation begins.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/

May 23, 20251 min

Ep 13011301 | A Wise Money Friend Is Curious, Not Correct

In episode two of Your Wise Money Friend, Carl explores the idea that wisdom isn’t about being right—it’s about being present. A wise money friend won’t hand you a to-do list or correct your choices. Instead, they ask the deeper questions that help you see yourself more clearly. Because the goal isn’t certainty, it’s clarity.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/

May 22, 20251 min

Ep 13001300 | A Wise Money Friend Doesn’t Shame You

In this special 1,300th episode, Carl kicks off a new series called Your Wise Money Friend. Episode one starts with a simple but powerful idea: A wise money friend doesn’t shame you. They don’t scold, lecture, or judge—they lean in with curiosity. Instead of asking, “Can you afford it?” They ask, “Tell me more.” Because real wisdom isn’t about telling you what to do—it’s about helping you explore why.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/

May 21, 20253 min

Ep 12991299 | Wise Money Friend Intro

In this kickoff episode, Carl introduces a new series called Your Wise Money Friend—a collection of short, gentle reflections to help you pause, notice your money patterns, and choose on purpose. No hype. No shame. Just tiny moments of clarity, like a quiet walk with someone who really gets it. Because money isn’t just math, it’s meaning.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/

May 20, 20252 min

Ep 12981298 | What Did You Feel?

It’s not about what you spent—it’s about what you felt. In this field episode from Los Angeles, Carl shares a shift in how he thinks about money decisions. Whether it’s a new truck or a fancy coffee, the real question isn’t “Can you afford it?” It’s “What are you hoping this will do for you?” Because every financial choice has a feeling underneath it—and that’s where the real insight lives.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/

May 19, 20251 min

Ep 12971297 | The Spending Practice

Money isn’t math—it’s practice. In this episode, Carl reframes every financial decision as a chance to get more aligned with who you really are. Not perfect. Just intentional. Not based on someone else’s rules, but rooted in your own values. One choice at a time.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/

May 16, 20250 min

Ep 12961296 | Transaction to Transformation

What if every transaction became a moment of transformation? In this episode, Carl asks what would happen if your values showed up not after you spend, but right before—before the tap, the click, the buy. Because every transaction builds your story, and with one simple pause, you can start writing it on purpose.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/

May 15, 20251 min

Ep 12951295 | Embedding Values Into Transactions

What if every transaction was a chance to practice your values? In this episode, Carl explores how even the smallest purchases—coffee, groceries, flights—can move from invisible habits to intentional choices. This isn’t about spending less. It’s about spending in alignment, where your money reflects the life you actually want to live.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/

May 14, 20252 min

Ep 12941294 | The Feeling of a Transaction

So much of what we do with money is just autopilot—spend, save, stress, repeat. In this episode, Carl invites us to slow down, feel the pattern, and create space between the trigger and the choice. Because clarity doesn’t live in someone else’s advice—it lives in the feeling between the pattern and the pause.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/

May 13, 20252 min

Ep 12931293 | Installed by Accident

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/

May 12, 20251 min

Ep 12921292 | If Your Banking App Had a Soul

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/

May 9, 20251 min

Ep 12911291 | Rewrite the Code

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/

May 8, 20252 min

Ep 12901290 | You Don’t Need More Financial Advice

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/

May 7, 20252 min

Ep 12891289 | Insight Instead of Shame

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/

May 6, 20252 min

Ep 12881288 | Emotionally Loaded

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/

May 5, 20253 min

Ep 12871287 | More Money, More Possibility?

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?

May 2, 20255 min

Ep 12861286 | Certainty Sounds Like Shouting

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.

May 1, 202510 min

Ep 12851285 | You’re the Bottleneck (And That’s Good News)

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.

Apr 30, 20257 min

Ep 12831284 | More Money Won't Fill the Hole

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.

Apr 29, 20253 min

Ep 12841283 | What Are You Solving For?

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl explores a deceptively simple question: What are you solving for? Whether it’s a mountain bike race, a business idea, or a client conversation, knowing the answer shapes everything—your tools, your preparation, and even your motivation. Carl shares how asking this question (and noticing when the answer changes) has guided his life over the past few years—and how it might do the same for you.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/

Apr 29, 20252 min

Ep 12821282 | Into the Fire

In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl takes us inside a classroom exercise that never fails to surprise him—and might surprise you, too. What’s the first thought or feeling that comes to mind when you see a dollar sign? From dumpster diving as a kid to growing up surrounded by wealth but told “we’re not like them,” Carl shares powerful stories about the money scripts we carry. This episode is an invitation to notice the story, feel the emotion, and maybe even write it down and throw it in the fire.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/

Apr 25, 20256 min