EP: 016 Love, Money & ADHD: How Neurodivergence Impacts Your Finances w/ Christine Hargrove

On this episode I am joined by Christine Hargrove, PhD candidate at The University of Georgia.  Christine's work centers around ADHD, Relationships and Finances and we had a great conversation about the intersection of all three of those things. 

ADHD is something that my family lives with, which in the past has sometimes made it challenging for my wife and I to have healthy, constructive conversations about our finances.  Being neurodivergent can make the difficult task of managing your money even more challenging.  

Additionally, being the spouse or partner of someone with ADHD (like me) requires additional thought and attention focused on things like how you will communicate with one another, what systems of support you might need to have in place and an acknowledgement that even if things are tough, you can and will get through it if you work together and remember that it doesn't have to be perfect. 

We talk about ... 

• What ADHD is, how it is diagnosed and the symptoms that present in those living with it. 
• Executive functioning skills and how they are impacted by ADHD.
• How ADHD can impact not only being able to effectively manage your finances, but also the affects it may have on your relationship.
• Systems of support and resources available to help you understand the condition better and tips to apply to your financial lives to help you have a better relationship with money. 

... and much more.

READ + LISTEN + LEARN: 

Christine provided an amazing list of resources, YouTube channels and books to check out.

• The work of Dr. Russell Barkley.  His book "Executive Functions" as well as his YouTube channel.  

Note: The "Executive Function Jenga" image that appears in the video was adapted by Christine based on the work of Dr. Barkley.

• The "How to ADHD" YouTube channel  and specifically the, "Wall of Awful" videos.
• "Love & Money: 15 Exercises to Strengthen Your Relationship", The book by Dr. Sonya Lutter.
• "Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today", The book by Hal Hershfield  is also brought up, not as a direct recommendation of Christine.  However, having read it myself I wanted to make sure it was listed here. 

WELLBEING:

• Christine joked (but was serious) that if you live with ADHD, you should make sure you are taking your meds as a step #1 in improving your wellbeing.
• She also told us that one of her tricks to make sure she gets a good night sleep is to get herself ready for bed when her kids go to sleep.  This keeps her from catching a "second wind" late at night and getting sucked into work into the later hours of the evening.  Advice that I could use myself! 

FIND HER AT:

• Christinehargrove.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-hargrove/

ABOUT ME:

My name is Jim Grace and I am a CFP®️ (Certified Financial Planner) and the Director of Wealth Management at Silver Pine Capital, LLC. (www.silverpinecapital.com) a registered investment advisory firm in Medfield, Massachusetts. ​

In my spare time I host a podcast and write about Financial Wellness & Wellbeing.  Check out some of my other work @  www.ModernFinancialWellness.com. On the website I try to unpack each episode a little further and also spotlight any other resources I think might be helpful to anyone trying to feel better about their finances.