11 Money Management Tips That Help You Stop Avoiding Your Finances
Here’s real research that gave a name to something I used to think was just me. Economists Niklas Karlsson, George Loewenstein, and Duane Seppi studied real investors and found they logged in to check their real portfolios significantly less often after real, bad market news, not more, as you might honestly expect. They called this the ostrich effect, a genuine, documented tendency to avoid real information specifically because attending to bad news carries an actual, honest psychological cost, even when the information itself would genuinely help you.
These 11 tips are built around that specific, real pattern, checking your actual numbers despite the honest, understandable urge to look away.
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Get the Free Workbook1. Recognize honestly that avoiding your numbers is a documented pattern
The real research found this specific, common tendency in actual, studied investors, not just in honestly anxious individuals.
Recognize today that this real, common pattern has an actual name, and isn’t honestly unique to you.
2. Notice the real, specific moment you’re tempted to avoid checking
This genuine, honest moment is exactly where the actual, real ostrich effect quietly takes hold.
Notice today one real moment you’re honestly tempted to avoid checking a specific balance.
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Visit Premier Print Works3. Separate the real, honest information from the story you’re imagining
The actual, real numbers are often genuinely less dramatic than the honest, imagined version you’re avoiding.
Separate today one real, actual number from the honest story you’ve built around it.
“Investors logged in to check their real portfolios significantly less often after real, bad market news, not more, as you might honestly expect.”
4. Check your real numbers on a scheduled basis, not based on feeling
A genuine, honest schedule removes the actual, real decision of whether today “feels” safe enough to check.
Set one real, scheduled time today to check your actual, honest numbers.
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Start the Free Reset5. Start with a real, small, less-scary account first
Genuine, honest practice on a real, lower-stakes account builds the actual habit before facing a bigger, harder one.
Check one real, small account today, before facing a bigger, more honest one.
6. Recognize that checking now genuinely costs less than avoiding longer
The actual research found real, prolonged avoidance often leads to genuinely worse, honest outcomes than facing it sooner.
Remind yourself today that checking now honestly costs less than continued, real avoidance.
7. Notice honestly that the real news is rarely as bad as imagined
The genuine, actual gap between honest dread and real, actual outcome is often considerably wider than expected.
Notice today, after checking, whether the real outcome matched your honest, imagined fear.
8. Pair checking your numbers with a small, honest comfort
A genuine, small comfort, a favorite drink, a quiet moment, makes the actual, real task honestly easier to face.
Pair today’s real check-in with one small, honest comfort of your choosing.
9. Tell someone else about your real, specific avoidance pattern
Real, outside accountability adds honest, actual support beyond your own, private effort alone.
Tell one real, trusted person today about this specific, honest avoidance pattern.
10. Recognize this real tendency doesn’t reflect a personal failing
The actual research found this specific pattern common among real, studied investors, not a sign of honest, personal weakness.
Release today the honest, real idea that this pattern says something bad about you personally.
11. Trust the real, documented cost avoidance has, versus simply looking
This isn’t honestly a hunch, it’s a real, published finding about the actual cost of looking away.
Trust today that facing your real numbers is honestly worth the momentary discomfort.
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I know a woman named Kezia who used to leave real, unopened bank notifications for weeks after a hard, honest month, dreading what she’d find. The day she finally checked, she said the actual, real number was honestly better than the version she’d been avoiding in her head.
I also think about a guy named Daniel, who avoided his real credit card balance entirely after a genuinely rough, honest stretch. Once he set a specific, real time each week to check, regardless of how the actual week had gone, he said the honest dread around it noticeably eased.
The Real Numbers Are Rarely as Bad as the Story
Each tip here treats this real, documented pattern honestly, not as a personal failing but as a common, actual tendency worth working with directly. The scheduled check-in that removed the decision. The small account faced first. The honest gap between real outcome and imagined fear.
Check one real, avoided number today, on schedule, regardless of how you honestly feel about it. Get the free Money Reset Workbook to face the real numbers alongside it.
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Ready to Face Your Own Real Numbers?
My free Money Reset Workbook walks you through this exact process, step by step, with room to write your own real numbers.
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Visit Premier Print WorksDisclaimer
This page is for information only. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice. The ostrich effect research referenced here comes from the real, published work of Niklas Karlsson, George Loewenstein, and Duane Seppi, “The Ostrich Effect: Selective Attention to Information” (Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 2009), summarized here in plain language. If financial avoidance feels connected to significant anxiety or debt, consider speaking with a qualified financial counselor or licensed mental health professional. Results vary from person to person.
Kezia and Daniel are made-up characters used to bring this content to life. They are not real people.
Some links on this page, including links to Premier Print Works, are affiliate links. If you buy something through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only own and sell products through our own store, Premier Print Works.
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