Behavior Gap Radio

What does independence really mean? In this special Independence Day episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl unpacks the myth of the self-made person and explores the deeper truth: Real freedom isn’t about doing it all alone. It’s about knowing when to stand on your own—and when to lean on others.Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

What if money is just a cheap shortcut? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl shares a story about grandma’s dinner and explores the deeper forms of value we often overlook—like friendship, generosity, and shared purpose. Sometimes writing a check is the easy way out. But what if there’s something more valuable than money?Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

What’s at the center of your life? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl explores the idea that, for many of us, money has quietly become the organizing principle around which everything else revolves. But what if we chose something else? Family? Time? Meaning? It's worth asking.Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

What if the problem isn’t you—it’s what we’ve been told is normal? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl challenges our deeply held assumptions about money, enoughness, and the quiet madness of chasing what everyone else is chasing. Maybe the real goal is to be a little less normal… and a little more weird.Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode, Carl revisits his favorite money metaphor—gathering wood for a fire—and adds a new layer: What kind of fire are you building? A small cabin fire or a 10,000-square-foot mountain lodge bonfire? The size of the fire changes everything. From burn rate to outflow, Carl explores how the metaphors we use shape the way we think about money and invites you to send him your own.Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode, Carl explores the subtle but dangerous shift from treating money as a scoreboard to letting it become a mirror. When net worth stops being just a business metric and starts reflecting our fears, stories, and sense of self-worth, things get messy. What if the number isn’t telling you how you’re doing—but who you think you are?Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode, Carl flips the script on everything we think we want from money. We don’t actually want money—we want what we think it will give us: safety, love, approval, and enoughness. And here’s the twist: you can feel those things before the numbers change. What if money isn’t the enemy or the goal… but the trick that wakes us up from the collective delusion we’ve been living in?Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode, Carl challenges one of the deepest money myths out there: Money will finally make us feel safe, happy, or whole. He shares a core idea from his new book: You’re not bad with money, you’re just asking it to do the wrong job. From personal stories to a powerful quote by Austin Kleon, Carl unpacks how our suffering around money often stems from mistaken beliefs, not money itself. What if changing those beliefs could change everything?Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this adventure journal episode, Carl shares a thought experiment that starts in a quiet cabin and ends with a radical reframing of how we think about money. What if money were like firewood—just fuel to keep things going? Not something to hoard, fear, or worship, but something to gather when needed, use wisely, and share freely. This isn't just a mindset shift—it's a new way of being. One rooted in trust, not scarcity.Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/ 

In this episode, Carl shares a raw segment from his new one-man show, built around two painfully honest sketches about envy and comparison. He reflects on the unspoken rules of the money game we all play—and what happens when someone dares to break them. From beaten-up minivans to Instagram-fueled status anxiety, this one’s about the stories we tell, the ones we’re afraid to admit, and the quiet power of saying four simple words: We can’t afford it.Want more from Carl? Get the shortest, most impactful weekly email on the web! Sign up for the Weekly Letter from Certified Financial Planner™ and New York Times columnist Carl Richards here: https://behaviorgap.com/