You are not your money archetype (1/2)

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Personality isn’t really who you are.

We develop a personality type, just to help us shapes how we interact with the world.

For example, if your main anxiety is not to be worthless, you might find yourself always trying to please others and forgetting about your own needs. On the flip side, if you main anxiety is not knowing enough, you’ll probably focus on learning and collecting accolades to solve problems. Those are two different ways to navigate the world.

This personality quest reminds me of my own identity crisis when I was younger. I used to wonder if I was French or Chinese (both of my parents are Chinese, but I was born and raised in France). Eventually, I figured out I was both. But I also realised I’m not defined by either, just like I’m not defined by my skin colour, my passport or my personality. They are just masks for my true self. My true identity is beyond those physical attributes.

The exact same rules applies with Money Archetypes.

What exactly is a Money Type?

Think of your money archetype as a pair of glasses with lenses that can distort your perception of money and shape how you react to financial situations.

The Money Archetype (Money Type) is a pseudoscientific model of the human psyche related to money, which is principally a typology of eight interconnected money archetypes. Inspired by the Carl Jung’s personality model, Money Types were developed by Deborah Price and the Money Coaching Institute.

Our money beliefs are formed in childhood, before the age of 10, shaped by the environment we grow up in. Over time, these beliefs influence how we interpret money, guide our financial behaviour, and form our Money Types.

Curious to know which archetype might be driving your financial decisions? You can read more about it here and take the Money Type Quiz here.

Like a personality, a money type is just your interpretation of the world, in this case how we perceive and interact with money.

You have a Money Type, but you are NOT you’re Money Type

You are not your glasses, you just wear them.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is saying "I’m like this," as if we can’t change who we are. But personality, and your money type, are not your true self. It’s a filter that, over time, can cloud your authentic view of both yourself and the world.

Removing them doesn’t change who you are. It simply allows you to see the reality of your being and the world around you.

So, how do we remove these lenses? How do we start seeing money, and ourselves, more clearly?

The process of "removing the glasses" doesn’t happen all at once. It's gradual, part of personal evolution.

The cleaner your lens, the closer you are to your true self, free from unconscious fears and illusions tied to money.

Why does it matter?

As you grow and evolve, your lenses becomes clearer.

Each money type comes with its own challenges, based on an underlying anxiety: an illusion that hold us back.

For example, the Innocent Money Type’s biggest fear is abandonment. Typically, Innocents avoid managing their finances, relying on others, which ironically deepens their sense of abandonment.
If the person they depend on doesn't handle their money as expected or abandons them in some way (whether physically or emotionally), it can deepen their feelings of insecurity and helplessness. This reliance creates a cycle where the more they avoid financial responsibility, the more vulnerable they feel to being left behind or unsupported, fuelling the abandonment feeling. They attract what they avoid the most!

Learning to evolve is in fact moving from a challenging situation where we act based on illusions that cause us suffering, to a more liberated state where we can truly be ourselves, free from those fears.

Your evolution frees you from your money types.

In this state, your view of money becomes balanced, and your actions are driven by conscious choice rather than automatic reactions, based on distorted perceptions.

Final thoughts

Each money type has its own set of challenges, but there's always a way to break free.

Here’s a hint: start with the end in mind, focus on the person you want to become and envision a life free from financial anxiety.

To do this, you also need to understand your illusions and fears. I’ll keep this for another newsletter to deep dive into the 8 Money Types and how to overcome their specific challenges.

Remember, growth isn’t linear! There will be times of stress when you revert to old patterns, but that’s part of the journey.

You are not your money type.

At their core, all money types create the very struggles they try to avoid.

There are no "better" archetypes—only a more evolved you. And the more evolved you become, the less defined you are by those money types.

Build your financial confidence to clean your glasses,

Sophie