The Rational Reminder Podcast · Thursday, September 10, 2026
Despite potential for personal growth, research indicates that a person's propensity to spend tends to be a stable characteristic over time. Awareness of one's own spending patterns, whether as a tight wad or a spend thrift, is suggested as a key factor in moderating this behavior.
“Just on people changing over time, some of the research that we'll talk about does show that there is a pretty stable characteristic in terms of your propensity to spend, which we'll also talk about.”
“So, you know, even if these are persistent traits over time, if you know you're a tight wad, you know you're a spend thrift, I think you're in a better position to moderate that.”