As we've discussed, when a financial planner is meeting with a client, they are not just facing the client, they are dealing with a host of generational and cultural messages, biases, and influences, the outcomes of which they may or may not be aware. In Part I we explored why human beings are naturally wired to be bad with money and the impact of the broader environment on their financial psychology. But these universal human tendencies are just part of the financial psychology story. Our financial psychology is also influenced by individual factors. Our experiences around money, beliefs about money, and our financial behaviors all help shape our relationship with money. We have unique individual, family, and generational experiences around money, which we refer to as financial flashpoints. To make sense of these experiences, we develop beliefs around money, which we refer to as money scripts^®. These beliefs, in turn, influence our financial behaviors and outcomes. Our financial outcomes give us new financial flashpoints, and the cycle continues.

In Part II we explore the intersection of financial flashpoints, money scripts, and financial behaviors in shaping our financial psychology. We dedicate a chapter to each of these topics. Utilizing our model of financial psychology (Figure II.1), our hope is that you are able to better make sense of the individual factors impacting a client's relationship with money.