Want Better Financial Literacy? Start With Your Feelings About Money
- Nikki Winston, CPA
- Apr 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 8
The Relationship That Guides Everything
We talk about relationships all the time. With family. With coworkers. With partners and kids. But one relationship that influences your peace, your habits, and your future, and rarely gets the attention it deserves, is the one you have with your money.
You’re already in a relationship with your money. Whether it feels stable or stressful, distant or all-consuming, it still shapes how you live. It shows up in how you spend. How you save. How you react when your account hits zero - or when your paycheck hits your account and disappears just as fast.
And it plays a major role in your financial literacy.
If you’re serious about taking control of your money, you can’t skip this part.
What does your relationship with money feel like?
Do you check your balance often, or avoid it altogether? Do you spend money freely then feel guilty after? Do you feel like your income disappears the moment it arrives?
If this sounds like you, don't feel bad. Focus less on the bad habit and more on what you're responding to. There's something about how you spend money which has been shaped by how money showed up for you growing up, what you were taught (or not taught), and what you had to figure out under pressure.
The financial literacy journey begins with awareness.
Financial Literacy Month...and Beyond
April is Financial Literacy Month, which brings more conversations, resources, and reminders about money. But this can’t be a one-month moment.
Financial literacy is ongoing. Even more than literacy, it’s about financial fluency - knowing how money works, yes, but also knowing how it works for you.
Understanding your money is a life skill, and it evolves over time. It's an ongoing process as you go through different life and career stages. It's not something you figure out once and never revisit.
What You Were Taught Growing Up Still Shows Today
If you were raised around money stress, you likely learned how to stretch - not how to strategize. You heard “we can’t afford that” more than “let’s make a plan.”nYou watched bills get juggled, food get rationed, and decisions made from urgency, not intention.
Many of us have rented furniture stories and how to respond to bill collectors when they called. To some degree, it's lighthearted and laughter, but it also set the stage for how you came to deal with money, use credit, and how you pay your bills.
Even now, if your income has grown, those early lessons may still be running in the background. More money doesn’t always erase what you’ve learned. In fact, it can amplify what hasn’t been addressed.
Money doesn't change people; it reveals more of who they really are.
You may know people who make a lot of money but still live in constant stress. Because if you were never taught how to manage a few hundred, how will you know what to do with thousands and millions?
Be Careful who you Learn From
Financial content is everywhere. Reels. TikToks. Threads. Posts. Some of it is educational. Some of it is entertaining. And some of it goes viral for all the wrong reasons.
There are creators guaranteeing huge tax refunds, making bold claims about credit repair, or giving advice that looks flashy but could actually land someone in legal or financial trouble.
It’s tempting to follow what’s trending. But your money deserves better than viral guesses.
You don’t need shortcuts or an antiquated budget template. .You need tools and support that work for your situation and enables you to create the life you want to live.
The Millennial MoneyMoves™️ portal is here so that you have a safe place to learn what’s true, what’s helpful, and what really works.
Let This be the Turning Point With Your Money
The Millennial MoneyMoves™️ portal was created for people who are tired of watching their money disappear, tired of waiting for a refund to fix everything, and tired of falling into the same habits that never really worked.
Inside, you’ll find:
A safe way to start fixing your credit without giving your info to strangers
Support for reviewing your tax forms at work so you can increase your take-home pay
A smarter approach to using your refund that helps you plan, not panic
A flexible way to build a budget that actually fits your life
This space is for people who want to break the cycle for good. You deserve to live the financial life you’ve imagined. But that means (1) being honest about what needs to change and (2) doing the work to change it.
What's Ahead in The Financial Literacy Series
This blog post is the start of a five-part series for Financial Literacy Month, but this is a conversation that continues all year long.
Each week, we’ll walk through a topic that impacts your financial stability and your everyday life. Here’s what’s coming next:
Part 2: Tax Planning vs. Tax Filing – What your refund really means, what filing tells you, and how to prepare early
Part 3: Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck – Why it happens, how reviewing your tax forms at work can help, and how to start breaking the cycle
Part 4: Fix Your Credit – How to clean it up quietly, protect your peace, and move forward with confidence
Part 5: Money Realignment – A reminder that reading isn’t enough. The change comes from what you do
There are millions of people with bad credit - typically because they don't know what they don't know. So you're not alone, and don't beat yourself up about what you didn't know.
Frequently Asked Questions: Understanding Your Relationship with Money
What does it mean to have a relationship with money?
It means your habits, emotions, and beliefs around money are shaping your decisions. That relationship is always active - whether you talk about it or not.
How is this related to financial literacy?
Financial literacy isn’t just knowing what to do. It’s knowing why you do what you do. Understanding your relationship with money gives you the foundation to make informed, confident choices.
Why do I still feel overwhelmed, even though I make more money now?
More income doesn’t automatically fix old habits. If you’ve lived with financial stress, those patterns may still be influencing your behavior. That’s why unlearning is part of this work too.
What’s the Millennial MoneyMoves™️ portal?
It’s a space built to help you build real financial fluency, step by step. You’ll find support for budgeting, credit, taxes, and everyday money decisions in a language that actually makes sense to you.
What's Next?
Ask yourself: How do I feel when I think about money? Then explore what needs attention and take one small step forward.
You’re already in a relationship with money. You deserve for that relationship to feel strong, steady, and supportive.
See you next week for Part 2: Taxes, where we talk through refunds, filing, and how to stop leaving money on the table.
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