Using Your Financial Anxiety to Make Better Decisions

Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer real-world money questions. In this episode: 

Nerds Sean Pyles and Kimberly Palmer speak with Farnoosh Torabi, author of the new book, “A Healthy State of Panic.” She explains how we can use our fears as a superpower to make better decisions when it comes to finances, career and life. Torabi is a personal finance expert and host of the “So Money” podcast. 

In their discussion, Torabi shares how her upbringing as the daughter of immigrants taught her to be fearful of certain things, but that as an adult, she realized that embracing her natural fear of negative outcomes actually helps her to make better choices. During the pandemic, she decided to take the risk of buying a new home, even though she was scared of taking such a big leap. In retrospect, she says, it was one of the best decisions she and her family could have made.

Torabi also shares her advice on how to overcome paralyzing fear. Sometimes, she says, it’s a good idea to actually think through every terrible outcome that could occur, so you can realize that those results are unlikely to become reality. And in some cases, she adds, fear stops you from making truly bad choices. And while confronting such heavy topics, Torabi always maintains her trademark humor, bringing levity to difficult conversations. 

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NerdWallet stories related to this episode:

A Scarcity Mindset Can Cost You Mentally and Financially 

Money Envy Harms Mental Health

Emergency Fund Calculator: How Much Will Protect You?

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