Hi, I’m Hanna
I fell into personal finance journalism almost by accident — and spent the next decade immersed in it.
I’ve written for Bankrate, CNBC, WSJ, and dozens of other publications. I talked to hundreds people about their money, and helped dozens of clients build financial plans. I’ve worked with fintech startups trying to figure out why their users weren't behaving the way the product expected.
Throughout my career, I kept noticing the same thing: the advice wasn't the problem. The psychology was.
People knew they should save more. They knew they should invest. They knew they shouldn't overspend. The information was everywhere.
But knowing isn't doing. And no one was talking about the gap. So I became obsessed with it.
I got my CFP to understand the technical side. I dove deep into behavioral economics, financial therapy, and the psychology of decision-making. I started writing about what I was learning.
That became Your Brain on Money.
I believe a lot of your money problems aren't your fault — but they are yours to navigate. Most of us are operating in a system designed to exploit your psychology, surrounded by social forces that trigger comparison, while carrying unconscious beliefs about money we didn’t chose.
Traditional financial advice acts like you're just making bad individual choices. I think that's incomplete at best, harmful at worst.
I believe we need both self-awareness and structural awareness when it comes to money. I call this Structural Financial Psychology — and it's the lens I bring to everything I do.
Let’s work together
Whether you want to understand your own money psychology or you're building products for people trying to figure theirs out — I'd love to talk.
Or, you can subscribe to my newsletter.
Podcast & media appearances
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A2 the show: I explore how cultural forces, social media, and personal values shape our approach the earning, spending, and saving.
Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors: I explore how “money scripts” formed in childhood shape lifelong habits, why emotional discipline matters more than willpower, and how anxiety shows up even for those who have “won the game” financially.
Mindful Money Podcast: How our emotional and psychological experiences shape financial decisions and how to build better guardrails
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Money: Picking Up the Pieces: How Homeowners Move Forward After Natural Disasters
Bankrate: Gen Z wants to retire early, but are they being realistic?
CBS News: 3 reasons you should invest in gold, according to the pros
Money as If: Is a fear of going broke keeping me from getting rich?
WTOP News: Is a 60/40 Portfolio Appropriate for Retirees?
Yahoo Finance: 6 things you should stop spending your money on, according to a financial planner
Women.com: The 50/30/20 Rule Is A Common Budgeting Benchmark – But Is It Truly Accessible For All?
VettaFi ETF Trends: Financial Experts Recommend ETFs for Gold Investing
CBS News: Why the CD laddering strategy makes sense
Fintech Global: One in five people think their partner sucks when it comes to money
CNBC: Here’s how to find health-care coverage if you’ve lost your job
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My work has appeared in Wall Street Journal, Bankrate, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, Fox Business, Business Insider, NBC News, Inc Magazine, and more.
Topics include:
Financial advice and planning strategies
Personal finance for different life stages
Product reviews and comparisons
The psychology of spending and saving
Economic trends and their impact on consumers
Let's connect
Let's connect
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Learn more about how I work with organizations.
For media inquiries: hanna.horvath13@gmail.com