Behavior Gap Radio

On this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl wrestles with the tension between escape and engagement, reflecting on a moment when watching football brought him to tears—not because of the game, but because he knew he was avoiding something deeper. Drawing from Camus, Rumi, and Lao Tzu, he explores the idea that meaning is found through active exploration, even when part of us just wants to check out. What happens when we go too far into our escapes? Maybe that’s where the truth finally reveals itself.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/ 

Risk asks what could happen. Exposure asks what it would mean if it did. But maybe the real question is—can we be okay with being vulnerable? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl unpacks the relationship between risk, exposure, and vulnerability, exploring how they shape our decisions, relationships, and work. If caring about anything means opening ourselves up to uncertainty, then maybe vulnerability isn’t a weakness—it’s the price of truly being alive.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 of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl shares an essay from his upcoming book exploring the crucial difference between risk and exposure. While risk is ever-present, what really matters is how exposed we are to it. He dives into the challenge of simplifying complex ideas without losing their essence—something he’s wrestled with for over 20 years. 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 are you willing to do for money? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl explores the growing tension between long-held values and the relentless pursuit of wealth, power, and attention. As hustle culture celebrates sacrifice in the name of success, he questions whether money is becoming the central organizing principle of our lives—and at what cost. If you don’t know who you are in relation to money, the future might be an expensive place to figure it out.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/ 

Why do we reach for our phones, ice cream, or the next distraction—even when we know they don’t add to our lives? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl unpacks the habit of novelty-seeking and its connection to boredom, stress, and dopamine. He explores how we’ve trained ourselves to chase input and what happens when we practice sitting with boredom instead. If you’ve ever wondered why you instinctively reach for distraction, this one’s for you.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 short but powerful episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl shares a crisp insight: If you're unclear about who you are or what you value, entrepreneurship, finance, and business are extremely expensive places to figure it out. In a world where long-held values are often sacrificed for money or attention, the cost of uncertainty has never been higher.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 of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl shares a short but deeply considered essay from his new book. He explores why humans and money don’t fit neatly into formulas—why the complexity, emotion, and adaptability of real life can’t be crammed into an algorithm. With AI on the rise, this conversation feels more relevant than ever. Carl even ran this piece by an AI editor—its response might surprise you.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 there were a Strava for money? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl explores how the natural human instinct to compare—often seen as a negative—could actually be harnessed to help us make better financial decisions. Inspired by how Strava tracks and motivates progress in outdoor sports, Carl wonders: Could a similar tool provide useful context for spending and financial alignment? He dives into the idea of measuring not just income and expenses but whether our money choices align with what truly matters.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/ 

We look at what people buy and assume we know what they make—but what if that story we tell ourselves is completely wrong? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl shares an essay from his upcoming book that explores the psychological trap of comparing our spending to others. From fancy cars to neighborhood norms, we often let assumptions shape our financial decisions in ways we don’t even realize.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 every project, every system, every piece of work was in service of one thing—kindness? In this episode of Behavior Gap Radio, Carl reflects on the idea of scaling kindness and how everything he’s building—his writing, speaking, art, and business—is ultimately about creating more space for meaningful, generous interactions. Whether it’s financial kindness or just kindness at scale, this simple but powerful idea is shaping the next chapter of his work.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/