Three money habits that can keep you stuck financially

August 4, 2026 — 2:09pm

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If you’ve hit a ceiling in your financial growth, today’s column is for you. Maybe you’ve been trying to increase your income or business revenue for a while, but it’s not happening.

Perhaps you’ve been diligently saving or investing, but eventually something always sets you back. You just have that feeling that no matter how hard you try – the numbers don’t seem to budge. Today, I’m sharing some of the unconscious patterns that I commonly see and work through with my clients who are struggling to break past a financial ceiling.

Fear of being seen (or judged) as greedy

What this looks like: You worry that people might judge you for having or wanting more than you “need”. You don’t want to be the odd one out. You might already be embarrassed by, or feel bad about, having more than others. You also might see some rich people in the spotlight doing unethical things and think: “I don’t want to end up like them”.

How this holds you back: If you have a negative perception of what it means to have more wealth, then you will keep finding ways to stay at a level that feels comfortable. Why would you want to become something that you think is bad, wrong, unethical or negative? You wouldn’t.

I’m in my 60s and well-off. So why am I so reluctant to........

© The Age