92. How your upbringing shapes your relationship with money

How much of your relationship with money was shaped before you were old enough to earn any?

In this episode, Dave and Hayden look back at their own childhoods and unpack how financial stress, family circumstances and the people around us can shape our beliefs about money. They explore everything from frugality and risk-taking to ambition, scarcity and the feeling that there is never quite enough.

This is a more personal episode of Aussie FIRE. It is not about finding the perfect investment strategy. Instead, it is about understanding where some of our money habits might come from.

In this episode:

🏠 How growing up in lower-income households shaped Dave and Hayden’s early views of money, security and wealth

💰 Why financial hardship can build strong saving habits, while sometimes making it harder to feel comfortable taking risks

🛟 How having a family financial safety net can change the risks someone feels able to take with careers, businesses and investing

🧠 Why money stress can stick around even after your financial position improves

🐛 Hayden’s “money worm”, the voice that keeps asking what could go wrong, even when things are going well

📈 How different childhood experiences influenced when Dave and Hayden became interested in investing and building wealth

💼 Why Hayden chose to reduce some of the risk of starting a business by working extremely hard elsewhere at the same time

🍔 How financial stress can make short-term comfort more appealing, even when it costs more over the long run