What are the Different Types of Financial Problems?

1. The inability (normally due to a lack of knowledge) to manage one’s finances in a manner adequately enough to sustain a moderate lifestyle for the people involved.
2. The compulsion to misuse one’s finances to meet emotional deficiencies (binge spending, misuse of credit and borrowing, purchases of unneeded merchandise, and other similar spending.)
3. The use of one’s finances as a means of self-protection and emotional separation. The most obvious symptom (in the case of married people) is noticed in that they have separate accounts from which they pay separate bills of the household.
4. The use of one’s finances to manipulate and control someone else. Such as in cases where one person controls all of the income of the household, and regulates the disbursements only to those who comply with the abuser’s demands.

What are the Correct Responses?

1. For number 1, above, the counselor can take the person through simple steps for developing a budget, starting a savings plan, and learning the Biblical principles of tithing, offering, and giving.
2. For 2 and 3 above, will require counseling due to emotional issues deriving from past trauma and/or circumstances. The people involved will need to learn how their need to use money to meet emotional deficiencies is hurting them. In contrast, they need to learn that God loves them enough for them to trust Him to meet their emotional needs.
3. For 4 above, the abuser must suffer consequences for their behavior. The consequences could be:
   1. An immediate releasing of the control of the finances to another family member, or,
   2. Separation, until the problem is resolved.
   3. And in both those cases, counseling must be required to deal with the perceived need to control others (probably anger issues).
   4. Counseling should continue until a change in in character has been achieved.