23. Understanding Financial Trauma: How Advisors Can Recognize the Invisible Barriers of Clients

Financial trauma is not just about what happened to you. It is also about what you watched happen to someone else. In this episode, Ashley sits down with Rahkim Sabree, accredited financial counselor, financial therapist, and writer, to talk about what financial trauma actually is, how it gets formed, and what advisors can do to recognize it and create environments where clients can begin to move forward. You'll learn: Why financial trauma includes vicarious experiences, not just direct ones How hypervigilance and material success can both be expressions of unresolved trauma The difference between a will to change and a skill to change, and why that matters What advisors can do to gently probe for trauma without overstepping their role Why the question what does money represent to you opens doors most advisors never try RESOURCES AND GUEST INFORMATION Guest Bio: Rahkim Sabree is a financial trauma expert, author, speaker, and educator whose work focuses on helping people understand and heal their relationship with money. Through his newsletter, Forbes articles, and book Overcoming Financial Trauma, Rahkim explores how shame, fear, identity, and lived experience shape financial behavior and long-term decision-making. Connect with Rahkim Sabree: Overcoming Financial Trauma Newsletter: https://rahkimsabree.substack.com/ Financial Therapy Association: https://financialtherapyassociation.org/ Rahkim Sabree on LinkedIn:   / rahkimsabree   Rahkim's Forbes Articles: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rahkimsa... Rahkim Sabree Official Website: https://www.rahkimsabree.com/ Overcoming Financial Trauma by Rahkim Sabree: https://www.rahkimsabree.com/ Connect with Host Ashley Quamme: Podcast Website: PlanningAndBeyond.com (https://www.planningandbeyond.com) LinkedIn: Ashley Quamme (  / ashley-quamme  ) — Licensed Therapist & Financial Behavior Specialist Beyond the Plan®: BeyondTheFP.com (https://www.beyondthefp.com) Monthly Newsletter: Subscribe at https://www.beyondthefp.com/ You cannot solve a financial problem that has a psychological root by giving people more information. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction to “Planning and Beyond” & guest introduction 1:08 Origin story: how Rahkim Sabree encountered financial trauma 4:40 Childhood experience, household finances, and forming money beliefs 8:07 Defining financial trauma (direct + vicarious experiences) 11:27 Behavioral indicators of financial trauma in clients 18:00 High-net-worth clients: vigilance, success, and hidden trauma patterns 24:09 How advisors can ask better discovery questions about money beliefs 32:03 The “Three E’s” framework: Exposure, Education, Execution 35:36 Case example: retired psychotherapist, “enough” anxiety, and scarcity behaviors 41:34 Where to learn more about financial trauma (resources & thought leaders) 44:44 Broader reflections on wealth, systems, capitalism, and identity 47:37 Closing remarks & where to find Rahkim Sabree online #BehavioralFinance #FinancialAdvisors #FinancialPlanning #ClientPsychology #PlanningAndBeyond