Heads Up: The Fed continues to raise rates — up 3% this year — making credit card debt even costlier.
Pay it off today with a low fixed-rate personal loan. View your rate —>

Five Strategies for Overcoming Your Money Fears

November 04, 2020 · 5 minute read

We’re here to help! First and foremost, SoFi Learn strives to be a beneficial resource to you as you navigate your financial journey. Read more We develop content that covers a variety of financial topics. Sometimes, that content may include information about products, features, or services that SoFi does not provide. We aim to break down complicated concepts, loop you in on the latest trends, and keep you up-to-date on the stuff you can use to help get your money right. Read less

Five Strategies for Overcoming Your Money Fears

Forget things that go bump in the night. Many of us are losing sleep over our fear of money—more than half of Americans rank “not having enough money for the future” as one of their top five fears.

From possibly being laid off, to lacking retirement funds, many of us are scared when it comes to our finances—which can lead to avoidance.

But even though fear is natural, it doesn’t have to control the way you save or spend. Like the monster under the bed, these fears can be faced head-on.

Below, we’re taking on five common fears around finances, and potential ways to overcome them.

Drowning in Debt

In 2019, American household debt hit an all time high of $13.95 trillion. Sure, that bottom line can be scary, but what’s more frightening are the interest and late payment charges you might accrue when you ignore your debt altogether, making that total even larger.

While you might be tempted to avoid thinking about your student loans or credit card debt, they’ll still be there month after month. What’s worse, neglecting debt can adversely affect your credit score, haunting you long after that late credit card payment is resolved.

Exploring Debt Repayment

You could think about taking a close look at what you owe, whether it be student loans, car payments, or high-interest credit card debt. And remember, you’re not alone in this struggle. There’s no one right way to tackle your debt, but consider the following:

•   Avalanche or snowball method. The avalanche method to taking on debt uses a mathematical approach: making minimum payments on all debts and then tackling the debt with the highest interest rate which may save you more on interest. The snowball method uses a behavioral approach and involves taking on your smallest debts first, which can give you the confidence to approach the more daunting ones. The fireball method is a hybrid approach that focuses on tackling your bad debt from lowest balance to highest balance while paying the minimum on your good debt. Regardless of which strategy you use, adopting a plan to pay down your loans can give you a clear course of action, outweighing monthly dread when payments come due.

•   Consider a personal loan. If credit card debt has you overwhelmed, you might consider taking out a personal loan, where debt from multiple credit cards can be consolidated into a single monthly payment. This could even lower your interest rate, which could decrease your stress.

•   Ask for a lower APR. Sometimes, simply asking for the help you need can bring relief. If you’re struggling with credit card debt, you can call the financial institution and request lowering your APR (annual percentage rate). This would mean lower interest on the debt you carry, which could get you debt-free faster.

Unemployment

If you don’t feel solid financially, the instability of employment can cause major stress. The fear of losing your paycheck could lead to ignoring your savings account balance.

Although dwelling on potentially losing your job could cause greater anxiety, preparing for the worst could offer relief.

Face Your Fear: Building an Emergency Fund

Instead of unconstructive worry, you could consider building an emergency fund. Setting aside even a small amount of money each month can create a sense of security—and accomplishment.

Although you can start small, most recommend putting away three to six months worth of living expenses. With a high-yield savings account, that amount may grow even faster.

Having a backup plan in the form of an emergency fund may help you face the unknown more easily.

Ready for a Better Banking Experience?

Open a SoFi Checking and Savings Account and start earning 1% APY on your cash!


Preparing for Retirement

With monthly bills looming, it can be difficult to think in the long-term. Retirement seems far away, while that $40 food delivery will arrive in 20 minutes.

Understanding retirement funds may be intimidating—in fact, over one in five Americans don’t save anything each month for retirement.

Face Your Fear: Filling Your 401(k) or IRA

If you haven’t started saving for retirement, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, you could consider saving what you can each month, no matter how small.

See if your employer offers a 401(k), or consider opening an IRA. Though it may feel insignificant, putting away even a small sum each month may make a large difference over time.

Fear of Spending Money

For some, anxiety around spending could make you fret over the smallest purchases. If you fear overspending, a dinner out could lead to cold sweats as you calculate the cheapest menu item.

Or in extreme cases, you may even avoid going out altogether. While minimizing expenses may be good, this pennywise, pound foolish mentality may strain your relationships and decrease your quality of life.

Face Your Fear: Sticking to a Budget

Knowledge is power. By creating a budget, you can alleviate the stress that comes with everyday purchases.

Knowing exactly how much money enters and leaves your account each month can be empowering. With automated apps like SoFi Relay®, you can track all your spending in one place.

It’s Too Late

It’s easy to get down on yourself when it comes to money fears and forgo saving or paying down debt because it feels easier to avoid it.

You might think you’re too far along in your career to start saving for retirement, or too busy to keep up with an emergency fund. Finances, especially when you’re afraid, can seem complicated, intimidating, or overwhelming.

Face Your Fear: Getting a Fresh Look at Your Finances

Sometimes starting fresh is all you need. It’s never too late to adopt personal finance habits like paying off debt, budgeting, and saving. While you’re at it, consider an easier way to earn while saving.

SoFi Checking and Savings® is an online bank account that charges no account fees (subject to change) and rewards you when you spend and save.

Don’t let your financial fears keep you from financial freedom—and better sleep. Get started with SoFi Checking and Savings.



External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.
SoFi’s Insights tool offers users the ability to connect both in-house accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score provided to you is a Vantage Score® based on TransUnion™ (the “Processing Agent”) data.
SoFi® Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A. ©2022 SoFi Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
SoFi Money® is a cash management account, which is a brokerage product, offered by SoFi Securities LLC, member
FINRA / SIPC .
SoFi Securities LLC is an affiliate of SoFi Bank, N.A. SoFi Money Debit Card issued by The Bancorp Bank.
SoFi has partnered with Allpoint to provide consumers with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. Consumers will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third party fees incurred when using out-of-network ATMs are not subject to reimbursement. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.
SoFi members with direct deposit can earn up to 4.00% annual percentage yield (APY) interest on Savings account balances (including Vaults) and up to 1.20% APY on Checking account balances. There is no minimum direct deposit amount required to qualify for these rates. Members without direct deposit will earn 1.20% APY on all account balances in Checking and Savings (including Vaults). Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 3/17/2023. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet

SOMN19089

All your finances.
All in one app.

SoFi QR code, Download now, scan this with your phone’s camera

All your finances.
All in one app.

App Store rating

SoFi iOS App, Download on the App Store
SoFi Android App, Get it on Google Play

TLS 1.2 Encrypted
Equal Housing Lender