The ‘I’m Bad with Money’ Lie: Why You’re Not Broken—Just Uninformed

I used to believe I was terrible with money. No matter how hard I tried, I was always behind on bills, overdrafting my account, and wondering how other people seemed to have it all figured out. I told myself I was just bad at money—like it was some kind of personality trait.

Then one day, everything changed.

I was sitting in my car after getting denied for yet another credit card, feeling humiliated. It wasn’t the rejection that hurt—it was the feeling that I was fundamentally flawed. That no matter how much I tried, I would always struggle. But then a question hit me:

• What if I’m not bad with money?

• What if I was just never taught how to manage it?

That single thought unraveled everything I believed about myself and money. It led me down a rabbit hole of financial literacy, behavioral psychology, and wealth-building strategies. And what I discovered shocked me:

The biggest reason people struggle with money isn’t a lack of intelligence or discipline—it’s a lack of education and exposure.

The System Wasn’t Built to Teach You

Let’s be real—did anyone actually sit you down and teach you how to budget, invest, or negotiate a salary?

Probably not. Schools don’t teach personal finance in a meaningful way, and most of us inherit money habits (good or bad) from our families. If your parents struggled, chances are, you absorbed those patterns without realizing it.

And the financial industry?

It thrives on complexity. The more confusing money feels, the more we rely on banks, credit card companies, and advisors who profit from our ignorance. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by terms like “index funds,” “compound interest,” or “tax brackets,” you’re not alone.

The system wasn’t designed to make you financially free—it was designed to keep you dependent.

How I Rewired My Money Mindset

Once I realized I wasn’t bad with money—I was just uninformed—everything changed. Here’s what helped me break free:

1. I Stopped Using Shame as an Excuse

I had to stop telling myself the story that I was just “one of those people” who couldn’t manage money. I started seeing my financial mistakes not as proof of my incompetence, but as a sign that I needed better information.

2. I Learned the Basics—One Step at a Time

Instead of trying to overhaul my entire financial life overnight, I focused on small, manageable steps:

• Understanding where my money was going (tracking spending for 30 days)

• Automating savings (even if it was just $5 a week)

• Learning about investing in a simple way (index funds, not day trading)

• Reading one book at a time instead of getting overwhelmed (I started with The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel)

3. I Questioned the Narrative About Wealth

I realized that rich people weren’t necessarily smarter or more disciplined than me. They just had access to different information. They understood how to leverage money, how to make it work for them, and how to navigate a system that most people never get taught.

The Truth: You’re Not Bad With Money—You Just Haven’t Been Shown How to Be Good

If you’ve ever felt hopeless about money, know this: You are not broken. You are not doomed to struggle. You are simply uninformed—but that can change.

Every skill you need to master your finances can be learned. Every mistake you’ve made can be corrected. And every limiting belief you have about money can be rewritten.

Start small. Forgive yourself for past mistakes. And most importantly, stop believing the lie that you’re bad with money—because you’re not. You were just never given the right tools.

But now? Now you have the power to change everything.

The secret to wealth? Start before you think you’re ready, and keep going when it gets tough.