The Money Type Diagnostic
Your money 'love language' — know why you're wired the way you are.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 82%
The Money Type is a validated diagnostic — built with a PhD and tested across men and women — that reveals why you behave the way you do with money, framed as the 'love languages' of finance. Each person has a primary type plus secondary types that together form their money personality. Chatzky's own type is 'Producer' with a bit of 'Connoisseur.' A common entrepreneurial type is the 'Visionary,' who is tempted to pour everything into their business and treat it as a retirement plan. Knowing both your and your partner's types makes money conversations far easier to navigate.
Origin
Chatzky's company HerMoney worked with a PhD to develop the in-depth, tested tool because she found that understanding the emotional wiring behind money behavior was the missing piece in most financial advice.
Core principles
- 01Financial behavior is driven by personality wiring, not just knowledge.
- 02Everyone has one primary money type plus a couple of secondary types.
- 03Knowing your type — and your partner's — de-risks money conflict.
- 04Certain types (e.g. Visionaries) carry predictable blind spots.
How to run it
- 1
Take the diagnostic
Complete the money-type questionnaire developed with a PhD and tested on men and women to surface your underlying money personality.
Pro tip People consistently report feeling 'seen' the first time they read their result.
- 2
Identify primary and secondary types
Note that you're not just one type — you have a primary type and a couple of secondary types that combine into your personality.
- 3
Name your blind spot
Each type carries characteristic risks — e.g. Visionaries over-invest in their own business. Identify the trap your type is prone to.
Watch out Visionaries risk treating the business as their entire retirement plan despite the odds of business failure.
- 4
Compare with your partner's type
Have your partner take the diagnostic too, then use the combined map to navigate shared money decisions and conversations.
In the wild
Chatzky notes that entrepreneurial audiences are full of 'Visionaries,' who are tempted to throw all their money at the business and assume the business itself will be their retirement plan.
→ Recognizing the Visionary blind spot pushes founders to diversify savings outside the business before it's too late.
Common mistakes
Assuming money behavior is just about knowledge
People try to fix money habits with information alone, ignoring the personality wiring that actually drives their spending, risk tolerance, and family generosity.
Is it for you?
Best for
Couples and self-aware individuals who want to understand emotional money patterns; entrepreneurs prone to over-investing in their business.
Not ideal for
People looking for a single mechanical tactic rather than a self-awareness tool.
From the transcript
“the money type is Love Languages right if you ever read the five love languages money type is that just for money”
“we're not all just one type we've got a primary type and then we have a couple of secondary types that make up our personality”
From the episode
Jean Chatzky: Master Your Money, How to Optimize Your Earnings and Wealth
Jean Chatzky