Originally published at https://raterush.com on January 11, 2020.
It’s wildly true that your personality vastly affects your financial decisions. Sometimes, even people who are struggling with why their strategy isn’t working (or is too stressful!) may find it’s because the strategy at hand simply isn’t suited to their personality. Your personality affects your relationship to money, but it also affects your goals, which are generally the whole reason people try to wrangle their money in the first place. Many, many finance websites have profiled “the” four, six, or nine different personality types when it comes to investing and finance. They all go by different names according to which site you look at, but almost all of the labels fall into about four broader categories based on different goals.
Goal: Security
This is the person who seeks peace of mind from money — knowing that the future is secure, that any unexpected surprises won’t rock the boat too much, and that the nest egg is sufficient to provide for whatever may come in the long term. Different sites can profile this type as everything from conservative, cautious investors who may get jittery about taking too much risk or simply don’t like to think (read: worry) about money, to meticulous planners who enjoy budgeting and saving, all the way to the “preservers” or “guardians,” who are the stewards who seek first to ensure the financial legacy of their family. Regardless of the label, those who approach money with the goal of achieving security generally aim to direct their finances with a measured level of control. For some, however, that may mean an autonomous approach — usually for those more confident with finances and future planning — while for others it may mean finding a great financial planner to partner with, as someone who can assist in navigating the financial waters in order to secure their long-term needs. Names that could be included in this category are saver, budget guru, planner, and protector — as well as avoider or “ostrich,” implying those who may be nervous about the potential insecurity of facing finances. These personalities also ultimately benefit from having peace of mind when it comes to money.
