Our perception of a thing often depends on how we look at it. That coffee cup in front of you appears to be in different places, depending on if you shut your left or right eye. A car coming at us on the other side of the road seems to move a lot faster than one travelling alongside us. These are common examples of what\u2019s called a parallax.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Money can be the same. Our perspective, our attitudes, even the way our brains work can affect our comfort with it and the decisions we make.<\/p>\n
At the end of 2019, in the early days of what would be a global pandemic, financial advisor Jodie Stauffer decided to apply that idea to a new firm \u2014 Parallax Planning & Wealth. As someone with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she wanted to help people like herself. Stauffer started posting tips online.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to help people navigate an incredibly stressful time,\u201d she said. \u201cThe lockdown made impulsive spending worse, and money habits were breaking down under stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
The more she opened up, the more her personal story resonated.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople started saying, \u2018You get it. Your story resonates with me,\u2019\u201d she said. Therapists familiar with ADHD began referring clients. What began organically became a specialization: helping people who think differently about money. Traditional financial advice rarely works for people with ADHD, a condition that affects an estimated 4%\u20136% of adults in Canada \u2014 about 1.8 million people, according to the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance.<\/p>\n
For some, basic tasks like opening mail can be overwhelming. Unexpected messages can trigger anxiety.<\/p>\n
Stauffer knows that feeling firsthand. She had worked in finance for roughly seven years before being diagnosed with ADHD about 18 years ago, holding roles from bank manager to in-branch planner. She admits she faced challenges managing some parts of her finances.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with my financial background, I struggled,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce I understood my brain and how ADHD affected me, it was like a complete 365-degree shift in how I viewed and managed my finances \u2014 and my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her diagnosis came unexpectedly. At the time, she was seeking answers for her daughter, who was being assessed for ADHD. The psychiatrist noticed similar patterns in Stauffer and suggested she be evaluated, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really common for women,\u201d she said. \u201cYour child gets diagnosed, and suddenly you\u2019re sitting there thinking, \u2018Wait a minute, all those things sound like me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For years, she kept that private. \u201cI never disclosed my ADHD at work, because there was so much stigma,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d seen people in finance have their careers stall after asking for accommodations. Things their employers were fine with before suddenly became problems after a diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
An ideal fit<\/strong><\/p>\n Stauffer\u2019s clients include doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and retirees \u2014 many highly accomplished but struggling to keep their financial lives on track. Some are women who have recently lost a spouse and are managing money on their own for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cOften, they\u2019re not even sure what\u2019s been going on with their finances, and now they have to figure it all out,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s when compassion and patience matter more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Last December, Stauffer signed on with Money Coaches Canada. Sheila Walkington, the firm\u2019s co-founder and CFO said Stauffer\u2019s approach was an ideal fit for clients.<\/p>\n \u201cIn getting to know Jodie and her specialty around ADHD, we realized a lot of our clients \u2014 even if they\u2019re not diagnosed \u2014 experience anxiety around money,\u201d Walkington said. \u201cThey\u2019re timid about asking for advice and need hand holding. That made her approach a perfect fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Shorter meetings and actionable steps are key strategies for these clients.<\/p>\n \u201cLong explanations overwhelm them,\u201d Walkington said. \u201cQuick tips, reassurance and clarity on cash flow \u2014 that\u2019s what makes a difference. Jodie\u2019s specialty in helping people understand where their money goes ensures retirement planning and other long-term strategies are based on accurate numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n Stauffer\u2019s approach avoids spreadsheets and form-heavy meetings. Instead, she uses colour-coded steps, visual layouts and hands-on strategies, often in short, focused sessions.<\/p>\n \u201cWith ADHD, 20 or 30 minutes on a single topic can be more productive than a two-hour meeting,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about breaking things down so people can actually act on them.\u201d She also asks clients to commit to at least a one-year relationship. \u201cIt\u2019s not about producing a document,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about making an impact \u2014 changing how someone feels about their money and helping them move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Stauffer said she joined Money Coaches Canada because the firm shares her values.<\/p>\n \u201cThey believe, like I do, that it\u2019s less about the money and more about the people,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a fee-for-service, advice-only planner, we have the time, we have the energy and we have no vested interest in quickly selling you a product,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n That independence, Stauffer added, is important for clients with ADHD, who benefit most from tailored strategies and patient, step-by-step guidance.<\/p>\n Still, Stauffer acknowledges affordability is a barrier.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a huge gap in support for people who can\u2019t afford professional help,\u201d she said. \u201cI do some pro bono work, but there needs to be more low-cost options. It\u2019s about making people feel like they\u2019re not broken \u2014 that there\u2019s a way forward that works with how their brain works.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our perception of a thing often depends on how we look at it. That coffee cup in front…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3093],"tags":[51,474,2499,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-358593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-personal-finance","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115059350808977646","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}