What if the shame and fear you feel around money has nothing to do with math? In this episode, I sit down with Lori Atwood, founder and CEO of Fearless Finance and certified financial planner with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, asset management, and private equity, to talk about why personal finance is 90% emotional and only 10% mathematical, and what that means for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, frozen, or ashamed when it comes to their money. Lori built Fearless Finance to offer something rare in the financial world: fiduciary, hourly financial planning with no sales, no minimums, and no judgment, making expert guidance accessible to people at every stage of life, from your 20s through retirement. We talk about how avoidance is the single worst thing you can do for your finances, how to take that first honest look at your numbers without spiraling, what it really means for a financial advisor to be a fiduciary and why it matters, the emotional baggage so many of us carry around money and where it comes from, and how financial clarity can actually open the door to a more meaningful and intentional life. If this conversation helped you see your finances differently, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and if you are not subscribed yet, this is a great place to start.

Find more from Lori:
Fearless Finance: https://fearlessfinance.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fearlessfinance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlessfinance/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fearless-finance/

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— Chapters —
00:00 - Introduction: Why Money Is 90% Emotional
02:53 - The Baggage We Carry Around Money
05:10 - How Fearless Finance Works: Hourly, Fiduciary, No Sales
07:02 - Lori's Path from Investment Banking to Starting Her Own Firm
09:28 - Leaving Wall Street to Be Home with Her Daughter
12:44 - Women in Finance and the Search for Female Mentorship
15:00 - The First Step When You're Overwhelmed and Frozen
17:34 - How to Build Your First Budget Without a Fancy App
20:29 - Cutting Expenses Without Losing What Actually Matters
23:06 - Simplifying Your Home, Your Spending, and Your Life
27:28 - Financial Planning for Small Business Owners and the Self-Employed
30:24 - The Runway: How Much to Save Before You Leap
33:02 - When Spending Is Really About Something Else
35:04 - What Is a Fiduciary and Why It Changes Everything
44:23 - Working with Financially Anxious Clients: Lori's Approach
46:44 - When Couples Fight About Money: Savers vs. Spenders
49:02 - Financial Contentment vs. Chasing More
51:24 - Government Debt, the Gold Standard, and What It Means for Households
55:27 - The One Rule That Overrides Everything Else in Personal Finance
56:48 - How Lori Stays Grounded in Her Own Financial Life
58:32 - How Many Clients She Sees and Why She Caps It
01:00:09 - Lehman Brothers, the 2008 Crash, and Her Last Deal
01:01:20 - Should Financial Worry Stop You from Having a Baby?
01:07:05 - Lori's Final Message: It's Almost All Fixable