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" The biggest factor in your financial success isn&amp;#039;t the size of your salary or mortgage. It&amp;#039;s you. More specifically, it&amp;#039;s the emotions that drive you to handle money the way that you do--whether you squirrel away every penny, spend like crazy, obsess over every purchase, or simply stick your head in the sand. We asked leading money experts to explain how your personal money profi le can help or hurt you--and got their advice for getting any type on the right financial track.  Ally Shieh was a spender from the moment she got her first allowance. &amp;quot;If I had money I would need to get something with it--a piece of candy, a trinket from the store,&amp;quot; says the 33-year-old information-technology manager from Los Angeles. By the time Shieh graduated from college, she was $20,000 in debt, much of it from buying trendy clothing, going on expensive vacations, and purchasing $40 lipsticks, all part of &amp;quot;keeping up&amp;quot; with wealthier friends. Then a few years ago, while sitting down with a pile of bills, Shieh had an epiphany: &amp;quot;I was doing the old credit card/cash advance/checking account shuffle, trying to transfer a balance on yet another credit card for a low introductory interest rate, when it just hit me--I didn&amp;#039;t want to be in debt anymore. I didn&amp;#039;t want to be chasing my bills.&amp;quot; So she cut out all spending on makeup, clothing, and other luxuries, and focused on paying off her credit card balances. It took her four years to dig out of her money pit, and to fi nally stop tying her self-image to her possessions.   Understanding what drives your behavior when it comes to money--what money means to you, what it signifies about you, how it makes you feel when you spend or save it--is key to your well-being, financial and otherwise. &amp;quot;People often think that money can get them love, security, control, power, or selfesteem,&amp;quot; says money coach Olivia Mellan, author of Money Harmony. &amp;quot;Sometimes it&amp;#039;s true, but if you believe in these myths too much, you can&amp;#039;t make rational financial decisions, and both you and your relationships could suffer.&amp;quot; If you&amp;#039;re completely driven by the idea that money equals security, for example, you may feel perpetually hopeless or panic-stricken that you don&amp;#039;t have enough saved up. And couples who have opposite money habits are bound to fi nd themselves locked in endless confl ict--unless they can unchain themselves from the fear or need that&amp;#039;s driving their behavior.  So what makes one person a miser and another a spendthrift? Most of us are actually a combination of types with one prevailing trait (for example, you might be a diligent saver by nature but still have it in you to splurge now and then, especially on jewelry). And that plurality makes sense, considering our money personalities are shaped by a host of factors, starting way back in childhood. Check out the six money personalities here to find the style that best reflects your own traits. Then read on for advice about how to play up your strengths, improve your weaknesses, and mesh your style with your guy&amp;#039;s.  Money Styles: --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; $ You sneak your own popcorn into movies. Why pay $5 for a tub when you can pay a fifth of that by popping your own, and stash the money you saved?  $ Balancing your checkbook isn&amp;#039;t a chore--it&amp;#039;s fun to see how much savings you&amp;#039;ve amassed from month to month.  $ You live for a great bargain and love to gab to friends about your latest flea market finds.  Whereas others see money as a means to buy nice things, hoarders see it as a means to obtain security. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t think I could ever reach a point where I felt I had &amp;#039;enough&amp;#039; savings,&amp;quot; says Robin Ebert, 26, an employment consultant in St. Louis who&amp;#039;s an avid coupon clipper. &amp;quot;There is no dollar figure in my head at which I could say, &amp;#039;Whew! I&amp;#039;m financially secure!&amp;#039;&amp;quot; Indeed, no matter how much a hoarder has, she always harbors an irrational fear that one false move or unexpected disaster will leave her destitute, says Jordan Goodman, author of Master Your Money Type.  Your Strengths+ You easily live within your means. Sticking to a budget is a breeze for you, and you&amp;#039;ll never waste a dime on credit card interest or outrageous bank fees.   + You&amp;#039;re a master bargain hunter who can dress and decorate beautifully on a shoestring. Ebert, for instance, holds &amp;quot;trading parties&amp;quot; with friends to swap &amp;quot;good things we have lurking in the backs of our closets,&amp;quot; she says.   Your Weaknesses- Focusing on a secure tomorrow means you often fail to enjoy today. &amp;quot;Sometimes I can&amp;#039;t pull the trigger and buy something that I really want,&amp;quot; says Ebert, who still can&amp;#039;t get over a pair of $75 tweed pumps she walked away from two years ago.  - You can be too conservative with your savings. You prefer to stash your money in safe but low-interest-paying bank accounts because you can&amp;#039;t stand to lose a penny.  Your Strategy To improve your financial future, Mellan suggests, take baby steps toward loosening up. Allow yourself a small luxury or move a small portion of your savings into stocks rather than keeping it all in a low-risk, low-return bank account. Start with a balanced or equity income mutual fund. These contain a mix of stocks and bonds, so they&amp;#039;re less volatile than an all-stock fund. And instead of letting the rest of your money sit in a low-interest bank account, move it into a savings account at HSBC or ING Direct--both are currently offering savings account rates of close to 5 percent. Seeing that such &amp;quot;risky&amp;quot; behavior doesn&amp;#039;t necessarily lead to disaster will help you become more comfortable with exploring other investment options that can grow your nest egg and allow you to enjoy your hard-earned cash.  Your MatchesMatches: spenders, money mastersMismatches: hoarders, worriers Spenders can show you how to let go a little and use money for pleasure. Just be aware, though, that as opposites, you&amp;#039;re prone to disagree fairly often over money, so you&amp;#039;ll need to be prepared to communicate your differences with each other. Money masters, who have a healthy handle on their finances, both emotionally and practically, can help you relax and make smart investment decisions. You get less out of being with worriers or other hoarders. &amp;quot;It may sound more comforting to be with your own type, but if you have two squirrels, there&amp;#039;s no one to tell them to live a little,&amp;quot; says Goodman. $ Who cares if you have a closetful of handbags? You deserve that new Coach tote.  $ You like to wow your friends with fabulous gifts, but wowing them with your gorgeous home and luxury car is even better.  $ You&amp;#039;ve never met a credit card offer you didn&amp;#039;t like.   Buying stuff is a balm that helps spenders feel important, loved, and validated. That need for love or approval often comes from having parents who were emotionally withholding, or from enduring a childhood deprivation. Spenders&amp;#039; inner voices tell them, &amp;quot;I deserve this; I won&amp;#039;t be denied anymore.&amp;quot; The biggest spenders are status seekers who equate extravagant possessions with self-worth. Whether or not they can afford it, that Prada bag makes them feel respected.  Your Strengths+ You know how to live in the moment and enjoy life.  + You&amp;#039;re often the fi rst to pick up the bar tab or spring for a gift that makes a friend or mate feel special.  Your Weaknesses- You tend to overindulge and exceed your means.   - You rack up credit card debt and are loath to save, which could spell disaster in retirement or in a financial emergency.  Your Strategy To get your spending under control, you must first tackle the insecurities that drive your habit. &amp;quot;Spenders have to stop filling every emotional hole with things,&amp;quot; says Mellan, who advises building self-esteem in other ways. Try volunteering or taking up a sport or hobby. But taking control of your financial life could prove the biggest boost of all. &amp;quot;The first hurdle is telling yourself that you don&amp;#039;t need to spend to prove to yourself and other people that you&amp;#039;re doing well,&amp;quot; says Shieh. &amp;quot;With persistence, you can break out of that thinking--I&amp;#039;m proof!&amp;quot;  On a practical level, you must set--and stick to--certain limits. Keep a diary of all your expenses for a month so you can see where you&amp;#039;re leaking cash and cut back. Devise a budget, then put away your credit cards and give yourself a weekly cash allowance to avoid overspending. And if you&amp;#039;ve got serious debt--you carry a balance on your credit card each month and can&amp;#039;t afford to pay more than the minimum due--see a credit counselor for a debt-reduction plan (log onto the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at nfcc.org to find a reputable agency in your area).  Your MatchupsMatches: hoarder, money masterMismatches: spender, binger Hoarders (who help you curb spending) and money masters (who keep you on track with long-term goals) balance you out. &amp;quot;The hoarder can pay the bills and the spender can do the investing, which is a positive way to spend money,&amp;quot; says Candace Bahr, cofounder of the Women&amp;#039;s Institute for Financial Education. But two spenders is a recipe for massive debt, as is the spender-binger combo. $ You have no trouble saying no to $4 lattes, but you can&amp;#039;t resist blowing your rainy-day fund on a new flat-screen TV.  $ You do due diligence to find the cheapest credit card and the best deal on a dishwasher...and then pick up the tab for all of your friends at dinner.  A binger is really two types--hoarder and spender--in one. Bingers long for security, so they put money away, but then the itch to indulge sabotages their efforts. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m good at saving,&amp;quot; says Wendy Kelly, a 32-year-old healthcare receptionist in Boynton Beach, FL. &amp;quot;Then all of a sudden I&amp;#039;ll go shopping.&amp;quot; Once, Kelly stashed $1,000, then blew it on holiday gifts.  Bingeing is just another form of overspending, says Mellan. And like spenders, bingers are driven to splurge by the need to feel approved of, a need that comes in powerful waves. They usually keep their spending under control, but in a weak moment they make an extravagant purchase that refills the emotional tank--and empties the bank account.  Your Strengths+ You&amp;#039;re on the right track toward a good, balanced financial style.  + You have the instincts of a saver; you keep an eye on your money.  + You aren&amp;#039;t so stingy with money that you can&amp;#039;t enjoy spending it on yourself.  Your Weaknesses- When the spending mood strikes, you don&amp;#039;t just dip into your wallet, you empty it.  - Your &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve been good about saving so I deserve to splurge every now and then&amp;quot; mentality feeds your bingeing cycle.  Your Strategy The best plan for a binger is to institute spending limits without depriving yourself completely. Instead of going on a $1,000 shopping spree, reward yourself with something special that doesn&amp;#039;t cost a lot, like a DVD of a movie you and your guy love. When you do shop, set a spending limit, and take only that much cash with you (yes, cash!). Another tactic: Distract yourself from spending. Make a museum trip or have coffee with a friend. Anything that &amp;quot;jams the trigger of the impulse&amp;quot; will work, says Mellan.  Your MatchupsMatches: hoarder, money masterMismatches: binger, worrier A hoarder is a good complement to you because he can steer you away from shopping sprees. Meanwhile, you can teach him to be more carefree. That balance won&amp;#039;t come as easily with a spender or another binger, both of whom will egg on your splurge habit, and a worrier will make you and himself unhappy: He&amp;#039;ll obsess about when the next big purchase will occur and you&amp;#039;ll resent his monitoring your every money move. $ You lie awake at night fretting that you won&amp;#039;t have enough money to cover this month&amp;#039;s bills.   $ Financial decisions paralyze you. Even just choosing a cell phone service is torture.   $ You buy a car, then agonize for months, certain you should have leased instead.   Everyone worries about their finances at one time or another, but worriers are distraught over every money move they make--no matter how much money they have. &amp;quot;The only time I&amp;#039;m comfortable is when the monthly bills have been paid,&amp;quot; says Wendy Abbruscato, a 41-year-old graphic designer and photographer in Ventura, CA. &amp;quot;Then I immediately worry about next month&amp;#039;s bills.&amp;quot;  This obsessive concern can stem from a lack of confidence in handling money, from being a perfectionist, or from parents who were frugal to an extreme, as Abbruscato&amp;#039;s were. &amp;quot;My dad would sigh if I asked for money,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;like I was asking for a kidney.&amp;quot;   Your Strengths+ One thing&amp;#039;s for sure: Your finances won&amp;#039;t suffer from neglect--you&amp;#039;d never miss a bill due date!   + To stave off money trouble, you&amp;#039;re more likely to use a fi nancial adviser, who can help you to better manage your money.   Your Weaknesses- Money concerns consume you.   - You take so long to make financial decisions that you miss opportunities such as car rebates.  Your Strategy Mellan suggests a few steps to help you feel safer about your financial present and future. Each day, write down your worries and the worst that could happen if they come true. Seeing your fears on paper will help you feel more in control. Ask friends to recommend a financial planner who can confirm that you&amp;#039;re making smart money moves--or point you in the right direction. And once your budget is set, review your finances no more than once a month.   your MatchupsMatches: money monk, money masterMismatches: spender, binger, hoarder The cool-and-detached money monk makes an ideal partner for you; he won&amp;#039;t pile onto your woes with excessive purchases like a spender or binger would, or compound your anxiety with a hoarder&amp;#039;s fearful outlook.  $ You&amp;#039;d never ask for a raise--needing money makes you feel greedy.   $ You believe the desire for money chips away at people&amp;#039;s moral values, so you try to avoid dealing with your finances as much as possible.   $ When you have a windfall, you can&amp;#039;t wait to get rid of it, so you donate to charities or help cash-strapped friends.   &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m afraid money would corrupt me,&amp;quot; says Rachelle Mee-Chapman, a 36-year-old ordained minister in Seattle, &amp;quot;so I don&amp;#039;t want to deal with it.&amp;quot; Handling money in any way makes a money monk feel like she&amp;#039;s giving in to its seductive power. Often, money monks were raised with deep religious or political convictions--their parents taught them that money is the root of evil, or that wealthy people are &amp;quot;capitalist pigs,&amp;quot; says Mellan.   Your Strengths + You focus on &amp;quot;the more important things in life&amp;quot; and have deep values.   + You&amp;#039;re capable of great generosity.   Your Weaknesses - You often shortchange yourself, putting your financial security at risk. Mee-Chapman charges the clients she counsels less than the going rate because she fears she&amp;#039;ll becomes a &amp;quot;consumeristic hedonist,&amp;quot; she says.   - Your aversion to money causes you to neglect routine money chores and avoid planning for the future.   Your Strategy Bahr&amp;#039;s advice for money monks: Remind yourself that money isn&amp;#039;t all bad--it allows you to keep a roof over your head, help friends, and support charitable causes. Think of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who have donated billions of dollars to global-health and education initiatives that will literally change the world. To make dealing with money easier, put your finances on autopilot as much as possible: Have paychecks deposited directly into your bank account, and set up automatic deductions for monthly bills, savings, and investments.   Your MatchupsMatches: hoarder, worrier, money masterMismatches: money monk, spender Hoarders, worriers, and money masters all pay attention to their money, so they can be the money manager in the family. But anyone who&amp;#039;s on the extreme end of these styles is too focused on money to suit you. Spenders are too materialistic, and with another money monk, you&amp;#039;d both have to fight your aversion to money. $ You use credit cards for their convenience, and pay off the full balance each month.   $ You set aside a percentage of each paycheck for savings.   $ You thoroughly research your investment options, but don&amp;#039;t lose sleep over whether you picked &amp;quot;the best&amp;quot; mutual fund.   To money masters, cash is simply a practical tool for living. Chances are, their parents were also money masters. Or they became masters after curbing overspending habits or easing up on hoarder tendencies.   YOUR STRENGTHS + You can save and invest for longterm goals, and treat yourself without overspending.   + You upgrade your lifestyle as your income grows.   YOUR WEAKNESSES - You may feel justified in giving your friends unsolicited financial advice, which can strain relationships.   - You&amp;#039;re reluctant to turn to others when you do need financial advice-- you&amp;#039;re supposed to know it all!   YOUR STRATEGY Although it&amp;#039;s noble to want to &amp;quot;rescue&amp;quot; your spendthrift friends, remember that you&amp;#039;re already leading by example. Let them come to you for advice. And even though you take pride in finding your own investments, it doesn&amp;#039;t hurt to consult a pro when you&amp;#039;re about to make major financial decisions.   YOUR MATCHUPSMatches: money master, hoarder, spender, binger, money monk, worrierMismatches: none! You complement any money style because you can offer direction to any type. But the one money match made in heaven is--you guessed it--two money masters together. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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