Avoiding Distraction: Money Management Tips For ADHDers

Managing money and budgeting can be difficult for anyone. If you’re one of the nearly 16 million adults in the US who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)^*, you know this doesn’t make it any easier. 
For many adults with ADHD, the disorder interferes with the ability to focus, plan ahead, remember details, and control impulses. This can show up in multiple ways, such as:
● Avoiding financial decisions or making them suddenly
● Forgetting to pay bills, getting late fees, or missing payments
● Difficulty organizing paperwork and files, including bills, checks, and tax documents
● Stressing about money due to hyperfixation
● Making impulse purchases
Luckily, there are many tools and resources to help simplify your finances and make your money work for you.

Start With A Savings Plan
For someone with ADHD, the thought of saving for a long-term goal or retirement can seem so far down the road that it’s hard to stay focused. Or it may seem so overwhelming that you can’t even get started.
The first step is to create a short-term savings plan. Set your first goal by determining how much you want to save in a given timeframe. Keep it realistic and outline actions you can take to get there. For example, by limiting yourself to eating out only once or twice a week or skipping the smoothie on the way home from the gym, you know about how much you’ll save each week. 
Once you have a few short-term savings goals completed, you’re ready for some mid- or long-term goals. Calculate your income and expenses and consider spending habits. Determine which expenses are necessary and those that are manageable, which is likely where you can make some cuts.

Work With A Financial Coach
A financial expert can talk through your goals, analyze your current financial situation, and help you build a spending plan. Whether you need to pay down debt or want to start saving for the future, a financial professional can help you make sense of the bigger picture and break financial tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Some financial institutions, like the Credit Union, connect customers with Certified Financial Coaches at no extra cost.

Check Your Credit Score
Keeping track of your credit score is a good habit to get into. Since your credit score is determined by past debts and payment history, among other factors, it’s a good indicator of how well you’re doing financially.
You can check your credit score online through the three authorized credit bureaus. There are also credit monitoring services you can pay for, and some financial institutions provide credit score tools for customers. The Credit Union’s Credit Score Tool provides regular updates and insight on your credit report. You can receive notifications when your score changes and why, and you can easily view your score anytime in Digital Banking.

Take A Financial Checkup
Another free tool the Credit Union offers is a Financial Checkup. Different from your credit score, the checkup analyzes your answers to a few quick questions and gives you an overall financial wellness score. It also provides insight on how you compare to peers, recommends next steps, and helps you track progress going forward. Having this overall perspective can be great motivation to stay on track with your finances.
From forgetting to pay bills on time to impulse purchases, ADHD can add extra challenges to sticking to your budget. But starting small and building good habits can make a big difference.

Ready for more tips? In the next part, we’ll share the best tools and technology to make managing your money easier. 

^*https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/php/adults/index.html