In this episode, we dig into the powerful insights from the book Start Thinking Rich with financial expert, Dr Brad Klontz. He lays out the hard-hitting truths you need to shift from a ‘broke mindset’ to building serious wealth.

Whether you’re just kicking off your wealth-building journey or ready to level up your strategies, Brad delivers eye-opening advice. These practical steps will completely transform the way you think about earning, saving, and investing.

Ready to ditch ineffective financial tips and take the reins of your future? This episode is all about recognising self-sabotaging money habits, embracing proven wealth-building tactics, and creating your own financial legacy.

No matter if you’re an employee, entrepreneur, or hustler – Brad’s tough-love approach will inspire and equip you to grow your wealth, wherever you are right now.

Key Highlights

• “Retirement is for dead people” – Why a healthy financial mindset means never settling.
• The four money scripts that run your financial life – are you sabotaging your own success?

The Key Money Scripts

The key money scripts identified by Klontz are:

1. Money Avoidance: People with this script believe that money is bad or that they don’t deserve wealth. They may sabotage their own financial success or avoid dealing with money altogether.
2. Money Worship: This script is characterised by the belief that more money will solve all of life’s problems. Individuals may overspend or work excessively, believing that accumulating wealth is the path to happiness.
3. Money Status: People with a money status script equate their self-worth with their net worth. They may try to impress others with their financial achievements and place a high value on material possessions.
4. Money Vigilance: This script involves a strong focus on saving and being financially cautious. People with this mindset are often frugal, but their vigilance can sometimes lead to anxiety about spending.

Understanding these scripts helps identify and address unhealthy financial behaviours, leading to better financial decision-making.

Questions we discuss

1. Why is it important for traders and investors to ‘start thinking rich’?
2. Brad, you have a background as a day trader, don’t you? Tell me more about how that all went for you.
3. You’ve discussed how financial flashpoints, like growing up during an economic recession, can shape a person’s money scripts. Can you share how your own family’s financial experiences influenced your financial beliefs? (I understand that your Dad gave you a crisp $20 bill and told you to spend it at the fairground. Your grandfather ended up keeping all of his money out of banks because of his experience in the Great Depression, and your mum was extremely frugal. Tell me more about these experiences, and do you feel this was the basis for your work on developing money scripts?)
4. I want to talk more about these types of scripts. Can you tell me more about money avoidance and money worship?
5. And there’s also money status and money vigilance. How do they represent and how can they impact a trader’s performance?
6. You say – “Your beliefs about money are keeping you poor” – How do our money beliefs shape our financial reality, and what’s the first step in rewiring these limiting beliefs?
7. “People who binge Netflix without a side hustle will be poor forever” – Why is it essential to maximise your time outside of your main job, and what are some high-impact side hustles that can help you get ahead?
8. The Importance of Influence: You mention getting rid of poor friends to get rich. How important is the influence of one’s social circle in achieving financial success?
9. Retirement Mindset: “Retirement is for dead people”. Can you explain what you mean by this and how it ties into a healthy financial mindset?
10. Seeking Help: You say that only poor people are afraid to ask for help. Why do you think asking for help is such a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of achieving financial success?
11. Action over Complaining: You’ve said “Complaining is for losers”. How can someone shift from a mindset of complaining to one of action, and why is this so crucial for financial growth?
12. Final Message: Your last chapter is titled “Start Thinking Rich”. What are three simple actions traders can take today to start thinking rich?

About Dr Brad Klontz and Adrian Brambila’s new book

Start Thinking Rich: 21 Harsh Truths to Take You from Broke to Financial Freedom offers a powerful, no-nonsense blueprint for those ready to transform their financial future. With a tough-love approach, this book lays out a clear, step-by-step path for building lasting wealth – no matter your starting point.

It’s packed with actionable strategies for earning, saving, and investing, while helping readers confront their spending habits, unconscious money biases, and self-sabotaging behaviours to finally start living their best financial lives.

It dives into the psychological traps that fuel a “broke mindset” and offers practical steps to increase income, avoid common money pitfalls, and grow your wealth passively.

This book is a must-read for anyone serious about cutting through ineffective financial advice and making proven wealth-building moves that work.

Order your copy today.

About Dr Brad Klontz

Brad Klontz is a Financial Psychologist, Certified Financial Planner, and Managing Principal at YMW Advisors, with over 15 years of experience in financial psychology.

He helps clients uncover and overcome subconscious beliefs that impact their financial behaviours.

As an Associate Professor at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business, he teaches and researches topics like behavioural finance, financial wellness, and money disorders.

Brad has authored or co-authored eight books and over 100 articles, with his work featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. His mission is to apply financial psychology to help people achieve lasting financial success and abundance.

Get in Touch with Dr Brad Klontz

Website: (Company) yourmentalwealthadvisors.com
Website: (Personal) yourmentalwealth.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbradklontz/
Youtube: youtube.com/c/drbradklontz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbradklontz/