I had a workshop participant whose mom saved money in a jar for retirement, only for her parents to pass away before they could enjoy it. That experience led her to believe saving was pointless, causing her to rack up debt to enjoy the moment. Like her, many clients have early money memories that shape their beliefs about saving and investing—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

This article will show you how to uncover those memories and help clients make smarter financial decisions. By understanding these early influences, you can guide clients to reshape their money habits. This approach sets your practice apart, builds stronger client relationships, and boosts retention.

First, What’s a Financial Fingerprint?

We all have a story when it comes to money. The way we earn, share, spend, save, and invest is shaped by our genetics, early experiences in our family, our culture, and our decisions. These experiences and memories or, “financial fingerprints,” are the beliefs we develop about money, and they can either help or hinder our financial well-being.

Another workshop participant was financially successful but struggled with money anxiety and relationship issues. He realized that these issues stemmed from childhood, where he often heard his parents arguing about finances. This led him to believe that money was the root of their problems, and he vowed to never face financial strain like his parents did. He thought that earning more would ensure stability and solve everything. However, that belief didn’t hold up, and he had to rethink his financial beliefs and mindsets to make real changes.

Because money is something people rarely talk about openly, these beliefs can stay covert, quietly driving financial decisions that may not benefit them. By uncovering a client’s financial fingerprints, we can better understand their choices and help address any beliefs that might be holding them back from financial success.

Second, Steps to Uncover a Client’s Financial Fingerprint

While I’ve created a workshop based on Adult Learning Theory for group work and for my clients, you can open up a discussion and uncover a client’s financial fingerprint in about 30 minutes. It’s all about understanding the unique patterns and beliefs that shape how they handle money.

If you want to try out this approach, I suggest taking the steps yourself first. By exploring your own financial fingerprints, you’ll be more confident in helping clients discover theirs. Let’s dive in and see how these insights can help guide clients to financial health.

1. Introduce the Idea: Start by explaining the concept of financial fingerprints and why it’s important to understand them. These fingerprints reveal the underlying beliefs and decisions that shape how clients handle money, which can either support or hinder their financial success. It’s about creating an awareness that can then be used as a litmus test in making financial decisions.

   Talking points could be something such as: “Think of your financial fingerprints as the unique patterns that show how you handle money. By understanding these, we can spot any hidden beliefs and behaviors that might be guiding your financial choices. We can then build on positive narratives and question and rescript others that are no longer serving you.”

2. Ask Them to Remember: Hand out paper and a pen, and ask clients to use their non-dominant hand to write or draw their earliest money memories in these categories:

   • How clients got money

   • How they gave and shared it

   • How they saved it

   • How they spent it

   Additional questions that may help them:

   • What specific memories about money stand out to you from your childhood?

   • How did your family handle money when you were growing up?

   • Can you recall a time when you felt particularly anxious or excited about money?

   Writing down early money memories with their non-dominant hand can be more effective because it engages different parts of their brain, helping to unlock deeper, often subconscious, memories and emotions.

   Why ask clients to remember these early memories? Because research has found that children as young as five already have distinct emotional reactions to money, and these reactions can translate into real-life financial behaviors.

   Sometimes my clients struggle to get started so I’ll share an early memory of mine. For example, I remember at my dad’s Kiwanis party, they’d pour a whole bunch of change in a sandpile, and we kids would excitedly dig it up, then do it all over again. This financial hide and seek game kept us occupied for hours. Everyone has a story about their first job, first purchase, investment, etc.

3. Discuss Early Memories: Once they’ve completed the exercise, ask clients what beliefs about money came from their memories. For instance, a memory of digging for money in a sandpile could lead to a belief that money is fun or playful.

   Talk about how these beliefs, whether related to saving, spending, giving, or investing, have shaped their financial behaviors, relationships, or conversations over time. Common beliefs might include scarcity (money is always tight) or abundance (comfort with risk-taking).

   During this step, reassure clients that this discussion is purely for awareness and self-reflection, not for judgment. Emphasize that everyone has unique experiences and beliefs about money, and the goal is to understand these influences better.

   Possible questions to ask:

   • In what ways do you see these beliefs playing out in your current financial decisions or conversations with those who are impacted by your decisions?

   • How have your early experiences shaped your views on money?

4. Discuss Financial Behaviors: Next, ask clients to reflect and write down financial behaviors they’ve noticed throughout their lives based on these memories and beliefs. Some of my clients try to save everything like they’ll never have enough, like I did. I grew up in a family with a “save first, fun second” mindset. I was a good saver, but it caused stress in my marriage.

   I had a hard time spending on fun. I had to question that belief and rewrite my “script.” I now spend with joyful intention within safe boundaries and nurture my financial life with discernment and direction. It’s fascinating to see people have these little glimmers of, “Wow, never thought of it that way.”

   Possible questions to ask:

   • In what ways do you see these beliefs playing out in your current financial behavior?

   • Are there any financial habits you have that you think are directly linked to these early beliefs?

Now that you have the tools to help your clients uncover their unique financial fingerprints, the next step is to use these insights to guide them toward healthier financial behaviors. Remember, not all beliefs and behaviors from early money memories need fixing. Some can be beneficial. By recognizing both the opportunities and challenges, you can help clients make more thoughtful financial choices.

Third, Navigating Financial Fingerprints

Ask them if there’s anything that they’d like to build on or shift based on their new awareness. Ask if they’d like to try on a different identity related to finances, e.g.:

• I’m a wise saver

• I’m debt-free consumer

• I’m an intentional spender

• I’m a generous giver

Then, ask them to write down one behavior that would start you heading in that direction. Possibilities include:

• Set up an auto draw from their paycheck to go to an IRA

• Begin participating in a 401(k)

• Create an intentional spending plan

• Build an emergency fund

• Create a pay-off schedule for debt

Taking these steps to improve their financial situation isn’t just about the actions themselves—it’s about embracing their new identity. When they start saving regularly, paying off debt, or making smart spending choices, they’re reinforcing that identity. They’ll feel more confident and capable, which makes it easier to keep going. Each step they take will make them think, “This is who I am now.”

Encourage During Follow Up

When you meet with the client in the future, ask how they’re doing, e.g., “What was a win since we last met?” Cheer them on instead of chastising. Our industry already has an undertone of guilt and shame associated with it. If they struggled to make a change, explore the challenges they faced and offer support and strategies to overcome these obstacles. This approach helps maintain a positive and encouraging atmosphere.

In a follow-up meeting with a client who had challenges saving, she told me, “Wow, Danielle, we talked about how instead of impulse shopping at Target, my new move to support being an intentional spender is to take a loop. I leave my cart, walk around the store, and then come back to my cart and ask myself, ‘Really? Do I really need this?’”

She continued, “I did the loop three times then walked out. When I got home, I moved the money I would have spent over to my IRA.”

I couldn’t have done that for her. She had to do that. I asked her, “How did you feel about that?”

She shared, “I feel so good when I buy something now. I know it’s because it’s something that I really want or really need, and I feel happy about getting it, and it has freed up money I didn’t know I had to shift toward savings.”

When clients make this kind of progress, it makes me feel great as their financial professional.

“Wait, I’m Not a Therapist!”

I get it. Many financial planners reading this might think, “I’m a financial planner, not a therapist. I don’t have the expertise to handle all this touchy-feely stuff.” But don’t worry, this approach doesn’t require a lot of expertise. It’s more about having a conversation to understand your clients’ money beliefs, which can influence their financial decisions.

Some beliefs might be helpful, while others could be harmful. As a financial professional, you’re in a great position to help counter any beliefs that might be negatively impacting your clients’ financial choices. There is also the Financial Therapy Association when you feel you’re hitting a boundary line in your area of expertise. I have referred clients to these professionals when other issues around money arise.

If you want to dive deeper into financial fingerprints and how they impact decision-making, goal setting, and client outcomes, I facilitate workshops (daniellehoward4u.com). It’s a great way to explore the role financial professionals can play in the process.

Another related resource is “Psychology of Financial Planning” by Drs. Brad Klontz, CFP^®, Charles Chaffin, and Ted Klontz.

To Summarize

First, we all have a financial fingerprint, which touches everything aspect of our financial lives and can help or hold us back with our financial wellbeing. Second, we can help clients discover their financial fingerprint by asking them to write down their earliest memories related to money. Third, after understanding financial fingerprints, we can help clients consider their money beliefs. If there are any they’d like to change, identify one step to get them started.

The Power of Early Money Memories

Some clients’ financial decisions can be puzzling. Many choices stem from early money experiences, shaping their beliefs and behaviors. Some behaviors help, while others hinder financial success. By uncovering these patterns together, you can reinforce positive behaviors and collaboratively guide clients away from limiting ones. This personalized approach strengthens relationships, boosts retention, and sets the foundation for mutual financial success.

Next Step

Begin by going through this exercise yourself, then courageously engage your current clients. Your established rapport makes it easier to discuss their early money memories. This helps refine your approach before introducing it to new clients and shows your commitment to understanding them better.