What is your relationship with money, and how was it shaped by your story? In this reflection on emceeing the first That’s What She Said: Campus Edition at the University of Illinois, Certified Financial Therapist Jaelyn Vickery explores storytelling, women’s empowerment, financial wellness, and the emotional experiences that shape our money behaviors.

A behind-the-scenes look at real money conversations covering budgeting, financial stress, emotional spending, and how to build healthier financial habits.

We don’t just spend to survive; we often consume to cope. Join me as I return to the Financial Therapy Association Conference to dive into the "Future of Financial Therapy." I’m sharing a closer look at Disordered Consumption™ and the C3 Cycle™ (Compulsion → Consumption → Control™)—a framework designed to help you move past shame and impulsive spending toward a life of alignment, intention, and dimensional wealth.

Conversations about money go beyond budgeting. Learn how financial literacy, wellness, and generational knowledge empower young adults to make confident money choices.

Financial literacy for kids often begins long before a classroom lesson. In a recent workshop with teens at the Phillips Recreation Center, we explored how early money memories, chores, and everyday experiences shape lifelong money habits, responsibility, and overall well-being.

Financial help often feels out of reach for people in their building years. Too expensive, too intimidating, or just not built for real life. Here’s why and what can change that.

Overspending is not a will power problem. It is a systems problem. In this article, Jaelyn Vickery, CFT™, founder of Dimensional Wealth, explores why rigid budgets fail, how emotional and cultural pressures shape spending, and what actually builds lasting money clarity and confidence. Featuring insights from a recent CNBC interview, this piece reframes overspending as a wellness issue, not a personal flaw.

The holidays often come with hidden financial stress. As expectations rise and spending increases, many people enter the new year overwhelmed and behind. Financial self-care offers a different path…

As a society, we're not taught how to play the "tax game" in school, which often leads to financial stress and massive, unexpected tax bills. But here’s the key takeaway from my conversation with CPA and entrepreneur Darion Wiggs: Strategic wealth-building means thinking about taxes 365 days a year. 

You've heard the talk about stocks, bonds, and indexes, and if you're like most people, that jargon is enough to send you running. But here’s the truth: Your journey to financial independence does not need to start in the volatile stock market. 

According to Nasdaq, the total cost of the American Dream — housing, college, transportation, childcare — has more than doubled for Millennials and Gen Z compared to what Boomers paid. And that’s after adjusting for inflation.