Advisors use body‑doubling, visuals to help clients with ADHD

Financial therapists and wealth advisors are using techniques such as body doubling, step-by-step plans, personable support and visual aids to help clients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder manage bills, reduce overwhelm and complete financial tasks.

ADHD affects attention, emotional regulation and impulsivity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 15 million adults, roughly 6% of the population, have a diagnosis. Experts link ADHD traits to missed payments, impulsive spending and difficulty planning for long-term goals such as retirement.

Christine Hargrove, director of the Love and Money Center at the University of Georgia, attributes some financial problems to dopamine-seeking behavior that drives emotionally charged impulses and to a disrupted sense of time that contributes to late or double payments and trouble treating retirement as a concrete target.

A 2021 study found adults with ADHD have more difficulty with financial judgment and with communicating practical financial information. Research published in 2023 reported that unmedicated adults with ADHD incur about $18,200 more in annual medical costs and estimated the disorder imposes roughly $122 billion a year in lost productivity and income for adults.

Advisers who have ADHD recommend clear, bite-sized plans and hands-on support. Otto Rivera, a wealth advisor in Bedford, Massachusetts, describes breaking goals into small steps, prefacing long-term plans with a reminder that they will not be completed all at once, and joining clients on calls for rollovers or transfers to ensure tasks are completed and clients feel supported.

Mariah Hudler, a financial therapist in Sacramento, treats impulsivity as a nervous-system regulation issue and says the two common money reactions are shutting down and fight-or-flight. She recommends advisers learn clients’ money histories and beliefs by asking questions such as, “What has worked for you? What has not worked for you? What fears do you have?”

Practitioners recommend body doubling, where a client works alongside another person to maintain focus; visual aids such as slide decks, graphs and comparison photos to make abstract goals concrete; and step-by-step checklists to reduce cognitive load. Hargrove recommends showing images of different lifestyles, for example a beach house and a city apartment, so clients can choose which goal resonates.

Stigma and shame can prevent people from seeking help. Hargrove notes many clients assume they are “bad with money” and fear judgment. Therapists advise firms to adopt a relational onboarding process that validates struggles and lays out financial tasks in emotionally safe ways.

Advisers and therapists report that these communication techniques, planning methods and social supports can improve client engagement and follow-through among adults with ADHD.