Money – A Thermometer of Wellness for the Couple

by Erik Garcia

In the premiere episode of the Stuff About Money They Didn’t Teach You In School podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia CFP® and Xavier Angel ChFC, CLTC, are joined by Dr. Matt Morris LPC, LMFT, who explains that how money is used and managed is often a thermometer of health or wellness in the couple.

Episode Highlights:

Erik and Xavier open the episode by offering a quick run-through of their history. (1:17)
Dr. Matt Morris introduces himself, shares his career background and explains what he does as a Couples Counselor. (3:10)
Dr. Matt Morris tells Erik what he knows about money that he wishes he knew 20 years ago. (9:12)
Dr. Matt Morris shares what made him begin to appreciate how money is managed, spent, and earned. (11:30)
Dr. Matt Morris explains what is missing when people say that money is not a problem. (13:14)
Dr. Matt Morris shares that people inherit their money management behavior from their parents/family. (16:25)
Dr. Matt Morris expresses his thoughts on how he thinks he can share his knowledge with the next generation of counselors. (26:20)
Dr. Matt Morris shares suggestions for couples on where to start to break cycles regarding money issues. (30:29)
Dr. Matt Morris expresses his thoughts about finance professionals and mental health professionals working hand in hand to provide clients with healthier, stronger, happier relationships. (35:21)
Dr. Matt Morris gives his last takeaways and key points for better couple relationships. (38:02)

Key Quotes:

“Money is not necessarily the virus in their relationship. But money is kind of like a thermometer, it shows you that there’s a fever that shows you that there’s a virus.” – Dr. Matt Morris
“What I do with money is really a reflection of how I grew up around money, how money was managed and handled in my family. All of us, including the couples I work with, often just repeat money patterns from their families of origin. Even if those patterns weren’t particularly healthy, that’s what we know to do.” – Dr. Matt Morris
“There’s a lot of overlap actually, between our fields, the field of financial planning and financial services and the field of mental health and family therapy and couples therapy…If we had a better working relationship, as professionals, we could be more holistic and working with these couples and families to better support both their financial health and their relational health.” – Dr. Matt Morris

Resources Mentioned:

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