(This is the last blog of three about biases and how they impact our financial planning, all published this month.)<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever walked away from a brilliant webinar or insightful podcast thinking, \u201cYes! I\u2019m going to make a change,\u201d and then done\u2026 nothing, welcome to the club!<\/p>\n
Change is hard. Not because we\u2019re lazy, but because our brains are wired for survival, not clarity. In this final blog of our series on cognitive bias, we look at the subtler biases that shape our sense of normal, our timeline for success, and even our self-worth. These aren\u2019t always loud, but they\u2019re powerful.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dig into a few that may be influencing you more than you think.<\/p>\n
Constancy \/ baseline bias<\/b><\/p>\n
We tend to normalise whatever we experience repeatedly, even if it\u2019s stressful or unhealthy. If your household never talked about money growing up, silence might feel \u201cnormal.\u201d If debt was always present, financial pressure might feel \u201cexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n
This becomes your emotional baseline. It takes real work (and often some outside perspective) to reset that baseline and build a new normal. One rooted in calm, clarity, and sustainable choices.<\/p>\n
Consciousness (readiness) bias<\/b><\/p>\n
Some things can\u2019t be seen from where we are.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t about intelligence; it\u2019s about perspective. We may simply not be ready to take in certain truths until something shifts. A relationship deepens. A crisis hits. Or we hear a story that unlocks something. (choice or trauma)<\/p>\n
This is why compassionate financial advice matters. It\u2019s not about shaming someone for what they haven\u2019t done. It\u2019s about walking with them until they\u2019re ready to see something differently \u2014 and act on it.<\/p>\n
Cleverness bias<\/b><\/p>\n
Sometimes, we\u2019re so determined not to be fooled that we become cynical. Especially if we\u2019ve been burnt before by a dodgy financial product, a business partner, or even a parent who mismanaged money.<\/p>\n
We distrust everything that sounds good, write off new ideas as too na\u00efve, or reject help as unnecessary. But suspicion is not the same as wisdom. Building trust again, with yourself, and with your financial team, is part of healing.<\/p>\n
Cash bias<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to question the system that pays you. If your job, career, or business relies on a certain status quo, like high stress, unhealthy margins, or keeping up appearances, it can be incredibly hard to challenge it.<\/p>\n
But avoiding the question doesn\u2019t mean the cost isn\u2019t real. Separating the values of who pays you from what you truly believe or want is helpful in removing cash bias.<\/p>\n
Conspiracy bias<\/b><\/p>\n
When we feel threatened or ashamed, we tend to invent explanations that make us feel better, even if they\u2019re not true! \u201cThe system is rigged.\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s no point trying.\u201d \u201cPeople like me don\u2019t get ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometimes, these feelings are rooted in very real experiences of injustice. But the danger is when they freeze us. When they become a story we repeat instead of a prompt to reflect, reframe, and respond.<\/p>\n
Bias is human. But awareness is powerful in that it enables us to see differently and choose differently. And financial planning, when done well, is not just a numbers game; it\u2019s a chance to reflect, recalibrate, and reset the trajectory of your life.<\/p>\n
Hopefully these three blogs will be an invitation to self-reflect, not to become self-critical. An invitation to pause. To ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s shaping me?\u201d And then, with support, to shape something better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(This is the last blog of three about biases and how they impact our financial planning, all published this month.) If you\u2019ve ever walked away from a brilliant webinar or insightful podcast thinking, \u201cYes! I\u2019m going to make a change,\u201d and then done\u2026 nothing, welcome to the club! Change is hard. Not because we\u2019re lazy, but because our brains are wired for survival, not clarity. In this final blog of our series on cognitive bias, we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-market"],"yoast_head":"\n