The Guardian is always alert and careful. When your worry gets the best of you, your anxiety might be intolerable or you might feel there’s an impending catastrophe. But when your Guardian is expressed positively, you’re alert, careful, and prudent. Why not pursue a calming activity that you love sometime today, perhaps listening to music, being in nature, getting some exercise, or having fun with a friend or loved one?

You’re probably a Guardian if:
• Your financial decision-making style falls into one of two extreme camps: (1) you feel frozen, unable to make financial decisions even when you think they’re best for you, or (2) you make financial decisions only after excessive analysis.
• You are focused on financial doomsday scenarios, whether for the world or yourself, hence you analyze what-if scenarios much more than most people do.
• You abide by certain fear-driven rules like never having debt or only living off your interest and other income in retirement— never your investment principal.
• Your emotional responses and level of worry are out of proportion to your actual financial circumstances. For example, you might obsessively worry about having enough to pay your bills even though you’ve never actually had the experience of not having enough money to pay them.
• The fear of making the wrong financial decision is more painful than the hope of making a good decision is satisfying.

Painful Emotional States
Anxious
Fearful
Worried

Common Distorted Thoughts (Conditioned Beliefs from the Past)
If I’m not hypervigilant, it’s all going to fall apart.
My worry helps me hold it together.
There is an impending catastrophe.

Liberating Wisdom or Ways to Focus
Today I am going to pursue a calming activity that I love (for example, music, taking a nap, playing tennis or golf, watching a movie, being in nature, reading a book, doing a spiritual practice).
I am most moved to be of service to others by .
I most want to spend time with in the next hour.
Making concrete changes that will simplify my life and financial needs is a high priority.

Archetype(s) You Most Need to Emphasize to Create Balance
Pleasure Seeker: enjoyment and relaxation
Empire Builder: innovation and decisiveness
Innocent: simplicity and adaptability

A Practice

NEVER EVER MAKE FINANCIAL DECISIONS IN THE MIDST OF INTENSE EMOTIONS. The Guardian almost always feels a sense of urgency: “If I don’t decide now, I never will, and...” Write down the decisions you need to make on a three-by-five card, in a journal, or in a handheld computer or phone, and put them off until you’re feeling more centered. Then you can sit quietly and make the necessary decisions, whether by using a pros and cons list or an advisor who can help you find the objectivity you need.

To do more specific practices related to the Guardian, buy my book or attend a workshop.