Okay, so here's what happened last month. I was working on a project analyzing why some people seem to naturally build wealth while others struggle despite earning similar incomes. The answer kept coming back to something deeper than just knowledge or opportunity - it was about values. Specifically, money values.
When we talk about values in any context, we're really talking about beliefs that motivate you to take action. Think of it like this: if you value family time, you'll make decisions that prioritize being present with loved ones. If you value career advancement, you'll seek opportunities for growth and development. Money values work exactly the same way, except they're the beliefs that drive every financial decision you make, often without you even realizing it.
Money values are essentially a set of core beliefs about how money should be used, earned, saved, and spent. They act as your internal financial compass, guiding you toward certain behaviors and away from others. Some people see money as a tool for security and stability, while others view it as a means to experience life fully right now. Neither perspective is inherently right or wrong, but understanding which camp you fall into makes a massive difference in how you manage your finances.
These values typically form during childhood through firsthand experiences with money in your household. According to research on financial socialization, children who learn positive money lessons early on tend to develop stronger financial management skills and even healthier relationships as adults. If you grew up in a home where saving was emphasized and debt was avoided, you might naturally gravitate toward building emergency funds and living below your means as an adult. On the flip side, if you witnessed a parent struggling with compulsive shopping or using credit cards to maintain a certain lifestyle, those patterns might feel normal to you now, even if they're causing financial stress.
Here's the human side of this: your money values aren't just abstract concepts. They show up in every financial choice you make. They're there when you decide whether to buy that coffee, when you consider taking on a car loan, when you think about retirement, and when you're tempted to tap your savings for something you want but don't necessarily need. Understanding these values gives you power over your financial life instead of feeling like money controls you.
Before we go deeper into examining your personal money values, it's worth noting that having the right tools can make all the difference in turning awareness into action. At AmeriSave, we've developed educational resources and calculators specifically designed to help you align your spending decisions with what matters most to you. Our digital tools can model different financial scenarios so you can see exactly how your values translate into real-world outcomes.
Money values function as decision-making filters. They tell you what's acceptable behavior when managing money and what crosses the line. Someone with positive money values might believe that carrying excessive debt is something to actively avoid, that saving for emergencies is non-negotiable, and that living within your means is a mark of responsibility. These beliefs then guide that person toward actions like creating and sticking to budgets, researching major purchases before buying, and prioritizing debt payoff.
But here's where it gets complicated, and honestly, this is what keeps me up some nights when I'm thinking about the families we're trying to help. If you developed poor money values as a child because of your environment, you might not see anything problematic about carrying high levels of debt. You might view it as just a fact of life, something everyone deals with. Or worse, you might feel powerless to change your situation because you've internalized the belief that this is just how things are for people like me.
According to Ramsey Solutions' State of Personal Finance Q3 2025 report, half of Americans (49%) are living paycheck to paycheck, and 50% worry daily about their personal finances. That's not because half of America lacks intelligence or work ethic. It's often because they're operating with money values that don't support financial health and stability.
The good news? Your money values aren't set in stone. Yeah, I know that sounds like something from a motivational poster, but it's actually true. It takes intentional effort to examine your current beliefs, understand where they came from, and make conscious choices about which values you want to guide your future. Developing a new money mindset isn't easy, but the effort pays off if you're genuinely unhappy with your financial situation and ready to change it for the better.
Let me tell you what I've seen in my years working in this industry. The people who successfully transform their financial lives aren't necessarily the ones who earn the most money. They're the ones who've aligned their daily behaviors with positive money values. They've done the internal work to figure out what money means to them and what they want it to accomplish in their lives.
There are certain fundamentals of personal finance that experts agree on universally: budgeting your income, avoiding high-interest debt, saving consistently, and investing for the future. Seems straightforward enough, right? But here's the catch - knowing these principles and actually implementing them are two entirely different things. Your money values determine whether you're committed enough to practice these good financial habits even when it's inconvenient or uncomfortable.
According to a 2025 survey by Empower, the median emergency savings for Americans is just $600, and 21% have no emergency savings at all. Nearly two in five Americans (37%) say they couldn't afford an emergency expense over $400. These numbers aren't just statistics, they represent real people facing real vulnerability. And often, the root cause isn't income level but rather the money values driving their daily financial decisions.
Positive money values can transform your relationship with money in powerful ways. They help you feel more disciplined and in control rather than constantly reactive. They make it easier to track your money because you're genuinely committed to maintaining awareness through budgeting and monitoring spending. They provide clarity when setting financial goals so you know exactly what you're working toward and why it matters. And perhaps most importantly, they give you confidence when making money decisions, whether that's choosing where to invest, deciding on a major purchase, or figuring out how to respond when a friend asks to borrow money.
Think of your money values as your financial GPS. Without clear values, you're basically wandering around in the dark, making decisions based on impulse, emotion, or whatever seems right in the moment. With well-defined values, you have a guide point that helps you navigate confidently toward your goals. You understand your “why” for saving, investing, or passing on certain purchases. That clarity keeps you motivated when things get tough or when temptation strikes.
This clarity becomes especially important when navigating relationships with people who might have different financial values. If you're crystal clear about how you want to manage your money and why those principles matter to you, it's easier to stay the course even when friends or family members have wildly different approaches. You can respect their choices while still honoring your own values and goals.
It's one thing to set financial goals, but it's a whole other thing to actually reach them. That's when having the right tools makes a big difference. You can use AmeriSave's goal-setting calculators to plan out different situations and figure out exactly what you need to do to reach your goals. Our digital tools turn your values into concrete plans with specific numbers and deadlines, whether you're saving for a house, planning for retirement, or building an emergency fund.
It's helpful to know all the ways that money affects your life before you make a financial plan based on money values. A detailed list can help you see what money values you already have and how they affect your decisions, even if you don't realize it.
Think about how money affects you in these areas of your life. In your friendships: Are there things you don't do because they cost too much? Do you feel like you have to keep up with what your friends are spending? Does money make these relationships more or less tense? When it comes to money, how do you and your partner talk about it? Do differences in money cause fights? How does money affect how happy you are in your relationship?
Also think about how your family gets along. Are you giving money to your adult children or your aging parents? Does money make you feel obligated or connected? How do your family's financial goals fit with your own? Money probably has a big impact on your job and career choices too. Are you working just for the money, or do your other values fit with your job? What would you do differently if money didn't matter?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the real median household income was $80,610 in 2023, which is a 4% increase from 2022. Even though incomes are going up, financial satisfaction hasn't gone up at the same rate, which suggests that values-based money management is more important than just having a lot of money.
Think about how money affects your hobbies and free time as well. Are you doing things you enjoy, or are you avoiding things you would love to do because they cost too much? Also, think about your health choices. Have you ever put off getting medical care because you were worried about money?
Lastly, make plans for the long term. Do you see money as a way to help you build the future you want, or do you see it as something that gets in the way? Your beliefs about money's role in long-term planning show your core values, whether that means owning a home, having a secure retirement, or just having options.
Think about the mental and emotional aspects as well. If money is always stressing you out instead of being something you can handle well, that's a clear sign that your money values might be getting in the way of good money habits. The first step to changing your emotional relationship with money is to understand it.
Setting financial goals can help you change the way you look at your money, no matter how big or small those changes are. It also helps you figure out what your money values are and how well your goals fit with those values. Setting goals can sometimes show you values you didn't know you had.
Writing down your short-term and long-term goals can help you see more clearly what you want to do with your money. Some short-term financial goals could be saving three months' worth of expenses for an emergency fund, putting money aside for a vacation this year, saving up to buy new appliances or furniture, or paying off a certain credit card balance. These short-term goals usually last from a few months to about two years.
Long-term financial goals are the big ones that take a lot of work over a long period of time. These could be things like saving enough for retirement, making a big down payment on a house, paying for your kids' education, becoming financially independent, or making enough money to retire early.
According to NerdWallet's 2025 Savings Report, 40% of Americans have at least one savings goal. The most common goals are to save for an emergency fund (46%), a vacation (33%), or to buy or fix a car (23%). You can have a lot of money goals, but it's important to be honest with yourself about what you can do at any given time based on your income, expenses, and other debts.
I learned this in my Master’s of Social Work (MSW) program, and it has to do with setting financial goals: people are more likely to stick to their goals when they are connected to deeper values and purpose. Saying I want to save ten thousand dollars isn't enough. You need to know why that goal is important to you. Is it about safety? Is it freedom? Taking care of your family? When the goal seems hard, it's your emotional connection to your values that keeps you going.
A lot of people use a five-year plan to figure out what they want to do and how much money they need to make. I strongly suggest that you try this exercise if you haven't already. Think about where you want to be in five or ten years. The most important thing is to make the picture as clear and detailed as you can, using all of your senses and imagination.
Where will you be living? Are you going to rent your home or buy it? How does the space look? What kind of work are you going to do? Are you going to work a regular job, go to graduate school, start your own business, or maybe switch to part-time work? How much money do you have saved? Be specific. Not a lot, but a number that means something to you based on your values and goals.
What about owing money? How much will you have, if anything? If you have credit card or student loan debt, picture what it would be like to have it all paid off. How far along will you be in reaching your long-term financial goals? Can you picture yourself reaching certain goals?
Imagining your future self is a very important exercise because it gives you a clear goal to work toward. It turns vague ideas like financial security into clear, concrete goals that you can start working toward right away. When your visualization is based on your core values instead of just what you want on the surface, it becomes a much stronger motivator.
If you have a lot of financial goals that are fighting for limited resources—and let's be honest, most of us do—you'll need to figure out which ones are the most important to work on first. This process of putting things in order shows a lot about how you value money.
For instance, a lot of people wonder if it's better to save money or pay off debt first. According to Bankrate's 2025 Emergency Savings Report, 35% of Americans are trying to do both build up their emergency savings and pay off their credit card debt at the same time. 28% are only focusing on building up their emergency savings, and 24% are only focusing on paying off their debt. Each option shows different values and levels of risk tolerance.
If you save first, even just a small amount like five hundred to a thousand dollars, you'll have a cushion that will keep you from going back into debt right away when you have unexpected costs. But if you wait to pay off your debt, you'll end up paying more in interest over time, which can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The side of this debate you choose shows whether you care more about safety and protection from emergencies or getting rid of debt and interest costs. There is nothing wrong with either answer; they just have different values.
Look at each of your goals and ask yourself how important they are to you right now. Think about how it will affect your finances and how important it is to you emotionally. That can help you put your list in order so you know what to do first. Some goals need to be met right away, while others can wait a little longer without too much trouble.
The real work starts after these exercises help you figure out what your money values are: living them out every day. That means that your actions with money should always match what you believe about money. This is the point of no return, and to be honest, this is where most people have trouble.
Let's say that one of your main long-term financial goals is to retire early. You want to retire in 15 years instead of working into your late sixties. Think about what you need to do every day to reach that goal. It could mean finding ways to make more money by starting a side business or moving up in your job. It could mean putting paying off your debts at the top of your list of things to do so that you can save more money for retirement. Or it could be as simple as saying no to going out with friends every now and then to save that money instead.
The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances says that in 2022, the average American family's net worth was over one million dollars, but the median was just under two hundred thousand dollars. This shows how unevenly wealth is spread out. The median net worth of Americans in their sixties is over four hundred thousand dollars, while the median net worth of Americans in their twenties is only about seventy-six hundred dollars. Your daily choices need to show that you want to beat those averages and have a comfortable retirement.
When you consider how even seemingly small decisions might affect you financially over time, you're actively living out your core money values. The more often you do things like choosing the brown bag lunch over eating out, putting that raise toward savings instead of lifestyle inflation, and thoroughly researching purchases before buying, the easier it will be to build the financial life you really want.
This also means being willing to talk about things that make you uncomfortable when you need to. If your friends or family have very different ideas about money and what they expect from you, you need to be clear about what you will and won't do. It's brave to say, "I'd love to join you, but I can't afford it right now," but it's important to stick to your values. People who care about you will understand, and those who don't are probably not good for your money health anyway.
The next step is to find financial products and services that help you reach your goals once you know what they are. AmeriSave's calculators and other tools can help you make decisions that are in line with what matters most to you, whether you're looking into mortgage options, figuring out how much you could save, or planning for a big purchase. Use our mortgage calculators to see what you can do with your money if you let your values guide your decisions.
Making some simple but regular habits with your money can help you line them up with your money values a lot. Here are some of the best ways to make sure that the way you handle your money every day reflects your financial values.
Set a budget for each month and stick to it. I know that making a budget sounds boring and limiting, but think of it this way: a budget is just a plan for how you'll spend your money to reach your goals and live by your values. If you don't have that plan, you're just guessing and hoping things will work out.
Check your spending every month, but every week is even better. It can be eye-opening to see where your money really goes instead of where you think it goes. This review process lets you quickly change your course when you see that you're spending more in areas that don't match your values.
Be responsible with your credit cards by keeping your balances low and paying them off in full whenever you can. High interest rates make credit card debt one of the quickest ways to stop your financial progress. Recent data shows that 33% of Americans have more credit card debt than emergency savings. This is a clear sign that their values and actions are not in line with each other.
Even if you can only start with small amounts, start a regular savings plan. At first, the habit is more important than the amount. If you can, set up automatic transfers to your savings account. One in four Americans with savings accounts (25%) have money from their paycheck directly deposited into their savings account, which helps keep things consistent.
If you don't already, put money into a retirement account. Get started, even if it's just enough to get a match from your employer. Time and compound interest are very strong forces, but they won't help you unless you let them.
Pick investments that are in line with your values. If you care about social or environmental issues, this could mean looking into socially responsible investing options. If you don't, it could just mean picking investments that fit your timeline and goals.
Think about how you can cut costs and save money without giving up your quality of life. You can sometimes save a lot of money by making small changes, like planning your meals to cut down on food waste, negotiating your bills, or canceling subscriptions you don't use.
Be around people who share your money values. This doesn't mean leaving friends behind who make different choices, but it does mean spending more time with people who support and help you stick to the money habits you're trying to build.
If you're in a relationship, it's very important to talk about money with your spouse or partner. If their financial values are very different from yours, talking about them openly can help you avoid fighting and holding grudges. You might not be able to get them to fully accept your values or the other way around, but you might be able to come to an agreement on how to handle your money that works for both of you. This calls for open communication, respect for each other, and a willingness to meet in the middle.
Your money values should be core beliefs that don't change very often, so you won't need to make big changes to them very often. It's a good idea to think about whether your values still work for you when you go through big changes in your life, like getting married, having kids, changing jobs, making a lot of money, or getting close to retirement. Things in life change, and the money values that worked great for you when you were single in your twenties might not work as well for you now that you're a parent in your forties or a retiree in your sixties.
Every year, I think you should do a formal check-in with yourself about your money values. You could do this as part of a bigger financial review where you also look at your goals, budget, and progress. This yearly review should make you ask yourself questions like, "Do my current spending habits match what I say I value?" Am I getting closer to the goals that are most important to me? Is there a difference between what I say I value and what my actions show I really value?
If you see a big difference between what you say you value and what you do, you should either change your actions to better match your stated values or honestly think about whether those are really your values or just values you think you should have. We sometimes get ideas about what we should value from our parents, society, or friends, but those ideas might not be right for us or what we want out of life.
Give yourself time to get through this. It takes time and work to change patterns that are deeply ingrained. You will probably have times when you make choices that go against what you say you believe. That's normal and to be expected. The most important thing is to notice those times without being too hard on yourself, figure out what made you make the choice, and stick to your values from now on.
It's not just a nice theoretical exercise to know what your money values are; it's becoming more and more important because of the financial problems Americans are having right now. A survey from 2025 found that 89% of Americans think it's harder to save money now than it was for people in the past. You might not agree with that view, but the truth is that a lot of Americans are having a hard time.
The Federal Reserve Economic Data says that as of August 2025, the personal saving rate was only 4.6%, which is much lower than the 10% to 15% that financial experts recommend. One in three Americans (33%) say their money situation has gotten worse in the past year.
It's even more worrying that only about one in ten Americans feel completely safe with their savings. Two-thirds of them don't think they'll ever be able to save enough to feel secure with their money. These numbers aren't just numbers; they show real worry, real stress, and real limits on what people can do and choose.
But here's what gives me hope: these results don't have to happen. They usually happen because people don't know how to manage their money well and because they don't have good money values. You can break free from these bad habits no matter what your situation is right now if you take the time to think about your beliefs, figure out where they came from, and choose values that help you reach your goals.
People I've seen successfully change their money situation weren't always the ones who made the most money. They were the ones who were willing to do this internal work on their values and then stick to those values in their daily lives, even when it was hard or uncomfortable. And anyone who is willing to work for it can have it.
Having sound money values can genuinely pay off if you're able to achieve financial health and enjoy the kind of lifestyle you want without racking up unmanageable debt. Or maybe having good money values will help you reach your goals, like buying a home sooner or retiring sooner than you could have otherwise. The exact results will depend on your own goals and values, but the steps you take to get there are very similar.
Choosing the right place to keep your money and the right tools to help you make smart choices are both important parts of managing your money well. Having resources that match your values makes it a lot easier to save for emergencies, plan for a big purchase, or look into buying a home.
The most important thing is to start where you are now, being honest about how much you value money right now and being open to looking at whether those values are helping you. We all learned things about money as kids that may or may not be useful as adults, so there's no judgment here. The question isn't why I have these values; it's whether or not they help me build the life I want.
If the answer is yes, that's great. Now you need to make sure that you live those values every day. You can change if the answer is no. Building new habits is possible, but it takes work, self-reflection, and patience with yourself. When your values, actions, and goals all point in the same direction, you can get the financial life you want.
You can still be financially stable even if you don't know what your money values are or haven't written them down. Even if you don't know it, your values are what guide your decisions about money. But having clear, well-defined financial values usually makes it much easier to achieve and keep stability because you have a conscious framework to guide your choices instead of just going with the flow or your gut.
You probably don't need a GPS to get there because you know the way so well. But having that GPS makes you feel better, helps you avoid traffic and road closures, and makes the trip less stressful. Clear money values work in the same way. They don't promise perfect financial results, but they do make it much easier and less stressful to get to your goals. When you have to make a hard financial choice, you can compare your options to your values instead of just guessing or doing what seems right at the time.
Negative money values are ideas that cause people to make bad financial choices and end up with bad results over time. For instance, someone who has a lot of high-interest credit card debt every month may have come to believe that debt is just a normal part of life and not something they should actively manage and reduce. Someone who constantly overdrafts their checking account or takes out expensive payday loans may have never learned how to budget or how important it is to live within their means.
Another unhealthy money belief is that you think your worth is tied to what you own, so you buy things to feel better about yourself. Or thinking that money is bad or dirty, which makes you feel bad about making more money or getting rich. Some people think they'll never be good with money because of where they came from or what happened to them, which makes it come true. The good news is that you don't have to keep bad money habits. You can change the way you think about money into values that are better for you if you are aware of them, learn about them, and put in the effort. It takes work, but anyone at any age or stage of life can change.
No way. Having money and good money values don't always go together. People who have a lot of money may not have gotten there by having healthy ideas about money or by managing their money well. There are many examples in history of rich people who got their money through fraud, exploitation, or illegal means. This shows that they didn't have good money values.
Not all of the people who made their money honestly have good relationships with money or good financial habits. Some rich people are always worried about losing their money. Some people feel like they have to keep getting richer and richer, even though they never feel safe or happy. Some people use their money to control or trick other people. Having good money values can help you build wealth over time, but you don't have to be rich to make smart money choices. Some of the most financially stable people I know have low incomes but are great at managing their money because they value safety, giving, and living within their means. That's worth a lot more than a big bank account and feelings of anxiety, guilt, or bad money habits.
Changing deeply held beliefs about money that you learned as a child is hard, but it can be done with the right approach. To begin, think back on your early experiences with money to figure out what those childhood values really are. What did your parents tell you, either directly or indirectly? How did you and your family talk about money? What did you see about how the adults in your life managed their money? Without judging, write down these observations. You're just trying to figure out where your current beliefs came from.
Next, see if each value helps you or hurts you right now. For instance, if you grew up very frugally because your family was poor and now you can't even afford to buy necessities, that value from your childhood may no longer be useful. If you grew up with a lot of money and didn't care about spending it, you might need to learn how to manage your money better as an adult. Once you know what values you want to change, start by doing small things that show those values. Start by putting aside even $20 from each paycheck and celebrating that win if you want to value saving more. If you want to stop being afraid of investing, the first thing you should do is learn more about it by reading books or taking classes. Every little step makes the new value stronger.
Yes, it's very common for romantic partners to have different ideas about money. This is probably because they grew up in different families with different money habits. These differences don't have to end the relationship, but they do require both people to be honest, respect each other's opinions, and be willing to find a middle ground. Studies show that money is one of the most common causes of fights in relationships, but it's usually not the money itself that causes the fights; it's the difference in values that causes the fights.
Before your money values cause big problems, the most important thing is to talk about them honestly. Talk about what money meant to each of your families when you were kids, what your most important financial goals are, and where you might need to meet in the middle. If one partner really wants to travel and the other wants to build equity in their home, for example, you could agree to put a certain amount of money toward each goal instead of having one person give up what they want. These conversations can be uncomfortable, especially early in relationships, but they're far less painful than the resentment and conflict that builds up when money value differences go unaddressed for years.
Your money values should be stable core beliefs, so you won't have to change them very often. It's a good idea to think about whether your values still work for you when you go through big changes in your life, like getting married, having kids, changing jobs, making a lot of money, or getting close to retirement. Things in life change, and the money values that worked great for you when you were single in your twenties might not work as well for you now that you're a parent in your forties or a retiree in your sixties.
Every year, I think you should do a formal check-in with yourself about your money values. You could do this as part of a bigger financial review where you also look at your goals, budget, and progress. This yearly review should make you ask yourself questions like, "Do my current spending habits match what I say I value?" Am I getting closer to the goals that are most important to me? Is there a difference between what I say I value and what my actions show I actually value? If you see a big difference between what you say your values are and what you actually do, you should either change your behavior to better match your values or honestly think about whether those are really your values or just values you think you should have.
Instead of analyzing, start with observation. For the next month, just pay attention to how you spend your money without trying to change anything. When do you get excited about spending money? When do you feel bad or worried? What things do you buy that you feel good about, and what things do you buy that you wish you hadn't? When is it easy for you to save, and when is it hard? These feelings give you clues about what you really value.
Also, pay attention to how you talk about money to yourself and to other people. Do you often say things like "I deserve this" or "I work hard, so I should be able to buy what I want"? That could mean that you really value rewards and fun. Do you often say "I can't afford that" even though you could if you made it a priority? That could show values about fear or lack. Do you ever judge other people's financial decisions, either good or bad? Most of the time, those judgments are based on your own values. After a month of observations, sit down with your notes and look for patterns. Even if you've never thought about them before, you might start to see patterns that point to your core money values. You can then decide if those values are good for you or if they need to be changed.
Yes, knowing and following clear money values can help you feel less anxious about money because it gives you a sense of control and purpose when it comes to your finances. A lot of financial stress comes from feeling like money is in charge of you instead of the other way around, or from making decisions without a clear plan and then worrying about whether you made the right choice. When you know what your money values are, you have a clear path for making decisions that cuts down on a lot of the doubt and second-guessing.
However, just knowing how much money is worth won't make your financial worries go away if you're really having trouble with money, like not having enough income to meet your basic needs or having too much debt. In those situations, you might need real help, like more money, help with managing your debt, or getting in touch with social services. But even when money is tight, figuring out what you value can help you make smart choices about how to make things better and keep hope that things will get better. If your financial stress is too much for you to handle or is seriously affecting your quality of life, you might want to talk to both a financial advisor about practical ways to deal with it and a mental health professional about the emotional side of things. It's okay to ask for help; a lot of people have money problems, and you don't have to deal with them on your own.
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