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I’m a semi-successful adult with a decent job. Why do financial conversations still make me feel clueless?

A lot of people find money stuff overwhelming — but it’s never too late to start educating yourself.

When I was accused of being “financially illiterate” by a random guy in a bar during a conversation about investing last year, it knocked the wind out of me. After I completely flubbed my words in an attempt to stay afloat, I realized that a new form of anxiety had crept into my subconscious: I, a 36-year-old, grown-ass woman, know nothing about money.

I’m not sure how I ended up here. I’m incredibly type A — I pushed myself academically and athletically in school, and I continue throwing everything into my career. I support myself in full (I suppose because I’ve gotten lucky with jobs). But I couldn’t tell you my five- or 10-year investment strategy, let alone my plans for retirement. Truthfully, that lack of knowledge doesn’t just make me ashamed. It’s terrifying.

Paco de Leon, founder of the Hell Yeah Group and Hell Yeah Taxes, tells Vox that anxieties like mine are super common. “I’ve met plenty of folks from all different ages who are both confused by money and I’ve met plenty of folks who are actively trying to educate themselves on the topic,” she said by email, adding that the financial industry isn’t a “particularly welcoming environment.”

But, de Leon stresses, “confusion doesn’t have to be permanent. I’ve seen lots of folks go from confusion to turning their financial lives around. You don’t need to understand the entire financial system to start making progress.”

Here’s why it’s never too late to get your financial shit together — and how to take some impactful baby steps to get more comfortable.

Give yourself a break

A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that roughly half of US adults felt like they knew a good deal or a fair amount about personal finances, 33 percent knew “some” stuff, and 13 percent didn’t know much or nothing at all. Another 2025 Pew survey found that the majority of Americans feel like they’re in either fair or poor shape with their finances — so money know-how clearly isn’t clicking in a universal way.

Some of this is likely driven by a cultural reticence to talk openly about finances, coupled with the pervasive belief that anyone who is struggling to make ends meet only has themself to blame. Katie Dow, a certified financial adviser based in Bozeman, Montana, tells Vox that even within families, people don’t always discuss finances openly. “We talk about sex, drugs,........

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