Some people cannot open their bank app without a small knot in the stomach. That knot often comes from money blocks, which are beliefs about money that you picked up when you were young and that still steer how you earn, spend and save. You release a money block by naming it, finding where it came from, checking it against the facts and then backing a kinder belief with one small money action.
Manifesters say these beliefs also push away the energy of money. Psychologists who study money have their own name for them, and their research can help you find out which block is yours.
Quick pick
Which Money Block Sounds Like You?
Choose the line that feels most familiar and jump straight to it.
- Do you avoid looking at your bank balance? Read about money avoidance
- Do you think more money would fix everything? Read about money worship
- Do you spend to look successful? Read about money status
- Do you worry over every purchase, even with savings? Read about money vigilance
- Did someone offer to clear your blocks for a fee? Check the warning signs first
Keep reading below Signs of a block The 13 ways Catch it, check it Block or real problem? Questions
Clearing your blocks is one part of manifesting, and our manifestation section has the rest. Once your blocks feel lighter, our guide on how to manifest money walks you through the practice itself.
What Are Money Blocks?
A money block is a belief about money that works against you, and most of the time you do not even know it is there. It can sound like “money is bad”, “people like us are never rich” or “if I have more money, my friends will not like me”.
You may never say these things out loud.
But you will see them in what you do with your money.
In manifesting, a money block is also a block of energy. Practitioners believe that if part of you thinks money is bad or out of reach, you send out a mixed signal, and money has a hard time finding you.
Researchers say much the same thing in plainer words. In the Journal of Financial Planning, Brad Klontz and Sonya Britt explain money scripts (a term coined by Brad Klontz and Ted Klontz) as core beliefs about money that are usually unconscious, formed in childhood, passed down through families and often only partly true.
So it does not matter which words you like best. The work is the same. You find the belief, you see where it came from, and you decide if it still gets a say in your life.
○ Where Money Blocks Come From
Most money blocks start at home.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says children start to form their money habits in middle childhood, between the ages of 6 and 12, mostly by watching their parents and friends.
So think back to how money sounded in your childhood home. Maybe money talk always came with a sigh. Maybe no one talked about money at all, and that taught you that money is a secret (or a little bit shameful).
A money block can also come from one difficult money moment. Klontz and Britt note that money scripts formed around an emotionally charged event, such as a big loss or a family member bailing someone out, can become resistant to change, even when they hurt the person holding them.
Think of a parent who lost a job, or a friend who never paid you back. A moment like that can leave a quiet rule behind, like “never take a risk” or “never trust anyone with money”.
If it feels heavy to go back to those memories, our shadow work prompts are a gentle way to start.
○ Signs You Have a Money Block
You do not need a quiz to find a money block. Look at what you do with money, and notice where you feel stuck for no clear reason.
- You do not like to open your bank app.
- You charge too little, or you freeze when someone asks your price.
- You feel guilty after almost everything you buy, even something small.
- Money comes in and goes out again before you know where it went.
- You feel like a fraud when you earn more than usual.
- You change the subject whenever a conversation turns to money.
- You save money, then spend your savings, then start again.
- You believe money will come “one day”, but you never make a plan for it.
If two or three of these sound familiar, that is very common, and every one of them can change.
The Four Types of Money Blocks
In a study in the Journal of Financial Therapy, Brad Klontz and his colleagues asked 422 people how much they agreed with 72 beliefs about money. The answers fell into four types, and three of those types were linked to how much money people earned and had.
Most money blocks fit into one of these four types. Read them slowly and notice which one makes you nod (or squirm).
○ Money Avoidance
“Money is bad”, “rich people are greedy” and “I do not deserve money” all belong to this block. People with it often feel fear, guilt or even disgust about money.
Klontz and Britt link money avoidance to overspending, giving money away at your own cost, avoiding your bank statements and having trouble sticking to a budget. In manifesting, this is the classic money block, because part of you is pushing away the very thing you are asking for.
○ Money Worship
“More money would fix everything.” “There will never be enough.” People with this block believe the next raise or the next big win is what will make them happy.
The trouble is that the finish line keeps moving.
No amount of money ever feels like enough, so you never stop chasing it.
○ Money Status
“I am what I earn.” People with this block tie their self-worth to their money, so they may spend to look rich or hide how little money they have.
Here is something every manifester should hear.
Klontz and Britt found that people with money status beliefs also tend to believe that if they live a good life, the universe will take care of their money needs. Trusting the Universe is a lovely part of manifesting, but it works best next to a plan, never in place of one.
○ Money Vigilance
“Save everything, trust no one, never relax.” People with this block watch every coin, stay away from debt and rarely talk about money.
On paper, this is the healthiest of the four.
Klontz and Britt call it protective, but they add that too much worry can stop people from enjoying the safety their money gives them. If you have savings and still lie awake over every purchase, this may be your block.
○ Does This Prove Beliefs Change Your Bank Balance?
No, and we want to be straight with you about it. Klontz and Britt found money avoidance, money worship and money status linked to lower income, lower net worth and more revolving debt, such as credit card balances carried from month to month. But a link is not proof that the belief caused the debt (the debt may have shaped the belief, too).
Still, their own view is a hopeful one. Klontz and Britt write that once money scripts are identified, they can be challenged and changed.
That is what the ways below are for.
13 Ways to Release Money Blocks
The first five ways help you find your money block and loosen it. The rest help you build new money habits around it, so the old block has less room to come back.
Try one or two ways at a time, not all thirteen in one weekend.
1. Write Your Money Story
Take a notebook and write down your very first memory of money. Then write what the adults around you said about money, what happened the first time you earned your own money, and what you really believe about rich people.
Write quickly, and do not make it neat.
The money block is often in the sentence you almost did not write. A manifestation journal is a good home for these pages.
2. Name the Type Behind Your Block
Read your money story again and hold it next to the four types above. Does it sound most like avoidance, worship, status or vigilance? Many people find two.
Give your money block a short name, like “the guilt voice” or “never enough”. It sounds silly (it is a little silly), but a block with a name is much easier to catch when it speaks up.
3. Listen to How You Talk About Money
The way you talk about money shows what you believe about money. “I am so broke” and “money is not for people like us” may feel like throwaway lines, but every time you say them, you hear them too.
For one week, notice every money sentence you say out loud. Then change the harshest ones into something truer. “I cannot afford that” can become “I am choosing not to spend money on that right now”, and that puts you back in charge of your money.
4. Catch It, Check It, Change It
This way comes from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talking therapy. On its Every Mind Matters site, the NHS teaches a simple version called “catch it, check it, change it”, where you notice an unhelpful thought, look at the evidence for it and change it into a more positive one.
Here is how it works with a money thought.
- Catch it. “I will always be bad with money.”
- Check it. Is that true every time? Remember a time you paid a bill on time, saved up for something or found a good deal. Think of what you would say to a friend who said this about herself.
- Change it. “I have made money mistakes, and I am learning to do better with money.”
The new thought is not a fantasy. It is simply more accurate than the old one, and that is why your mind can believe it.
5. Write a Bridge Belief You Can Accept
Manifesters love affirmations, but a line that leaps too far can make the block louder.
Say “money flows to me with no effort” in a month when the bills are piling up, and a small voice answers “no, it does not”. That voice is the block, and now it has won the argument.
A bridge belief is a smaller step that the voice cannot easily argue with. It sits between where you are and where you want to be. Try one of these, or write your own.
- I am open to learning how money works.
- It is safe for me to look at my money.
- I can have money and still be a kind person.
- Money can come to me through the skills I am building.
Keep your bridge belief where you will see it, such as your phone’s lock screen or the inside cover of your notebook. When it starts to feel true, you can make it a little bigger.
6. Seek Wealth, Not Quick Money
The investor Naval Ravikant says money and wealth are not the same thing in his essay “Seek wealth, not money or status“. In his words, “Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep”. Money is what you spend, and wealth is what keeps working for you, like savings, skills and investments.
Worship and status blocks chase the quick win. Releasing them means choosing the slow way deliberately. Put a little money aside every time money comes in, even a very small amount, and let it grow where you cannot see it.
Be careful with anyone who says you can “make money in your sleep” from day one, as long as you pay them first. That is a sales pitch, and you will find the warning signs further down this page.
7. Learn One Money Skill at a Time
Some money blocks are really a missing skill. “I am just not good with numbers” often means no one ever showed you how.
Pick one money skill and learn it this month. You could learn to make a simple budget, to ask for a raise, to price your work or to understand how interest grows on a credit card. Each money skill you learn is one more answer to the old block.
8. Open Your Bank App Without Flinching
Remember the people with money avoidance, who do not look at their bank statements? This way is for them, and it is simple (and a little brave).
Open your bank app once a day for a week. Breathe out, look at the number and say one calm sentence: “This is where I am today.” Do not judge the number, and do not try to fix it yet.
By the end of the week, the number often stops feeling so frightening. Then you can start making choices with your money instead of hiding from it.
9. Say Thank You When Money Comes In
Many manifesters say thank you the moment money arrives, whether it is pay, an allowance or a friend paying you back. Practitioners believe that noticing each arrival lets the Universe see that you are paying attention, and so more can follow. It is also a kind answer to an “it is never enough” block.
Keep a running note on your phone called “money that showed up” and add every arrival, however small. At the end of the month, read the whole list, because a never-enough block finds it hard to argue with. Our gratitude manifestation method turns this into a full daily practice.
10. Quiet the Comparison Feed
Money status blocks grow when you compare yourself to other people, and social media is a comparison machine. You see someone’s new car, but you do not see the debt or the family help that may be behind it.
Mute or unfollow the accounts that make you feel poor, and turn off shopping notifications. Then follow people who talk about money in an honest way, even the boring parts.
11. Picture It, Then Take One Small Step
Visualization is at the heart of manifesting.
Sit somewhere quiet and imagine a calm money moment, like paying a bill without worry or checking your balance with a smile.
Notice how your body feels in that moment. Many manifesters say that feeling is what draws money to you, and our guide to manifestation methods has more ways to hold it.
When the feeling is clear, take one small step toward the picture today. Move a little money into savings, or send one email about work. The picture shows you where you are going, and the step shows your mind that you mean it.
12. Trade Scarcity for Abundance
A scarcity mindset sees money as a small cake, so if someone else gets a slice, there is less cake for you. An abundance mindset believes there is enough money to go around, so when someone else does well, it shows you what is possible for you too.
To practice this, try a simple swap. Each time you feel a little jealous of someone’s win, say (silently is fine) “There is room for me too.”
Abundance does not mean you pretend to have more money than you have. If you tend to dream big and plan small, our post on realists and visionaries can help you find a balance.
13. Spend Time With People Who Talk About Money Kindly
Money blocks are catching.
If everyone around you says “money is evil” or “only bad people get rich”, the old block gets fed every day.
Find at least one person who talks about money in a calm and comfortable way. It could be someone in your family who saves well, a teacher or a colleague. Ask them how they learned about money, and then listen.
○ One Block, Followed Through
Imagine a college student who tutors younger kids in math on weekends. She charges far less than other tutors, and when a parent asks her price, her face goes hot.
When she writes her money story, she remembers her mother saying “we do not take money from people we know”. She calls this block “the favor voice”.
The next time a parent asks, she catches the thought “they will think I am greedy”. She checks it against her students’ improvement, and she changes it to “a fair price lets me keep doing good work”. Then she raises her price for new families only, and she says the new price out loud before each call.
The favor voice still speaks up now and then. But now she knows its name, and it does not set her prices anymore.
Is It a Money Block or a Real Money Problem?
Not every money problem is a money block, and we do not want you to blame your mind for something it did not cause. Low pay, high rent, debt, illness and unemployment are real money problems, and belief work alone will not fix them.
Here is a simple test.
If you know what to do but you cannot make yourself do it, a money block is likely part of the problem. If there is simply not enough money coming in, you need a practical plan first, and the mind work can come next to it.
For debt, look for a free or non-profit debt advice service where you live, and stay away from anyone who asks for big fees up front. Some financial therapists and counselors also work with this mix of money and feelings.
If money worry is costing you sleep or leaving you low for weeks, please tell someone you trust or see your doctor. You deserve help with the feeling, not only with the money.
Paying Someone to Clear Your Money Blocks? Read This First
Here is our rule. Nobody can take a belief out of you for a fee.
A good coach or a good book can guide you, but catching, checking and changing your money blocks is always your own work. Watch for these warning signs.
- Someone promises you will make money once your blocks are “cleared”.
- The price keeps going up, and a new block is found each time you pay.
- Someone sells spells, “curse” removals or energy clearings to free up your money.
- You are pressured to sign up today or lose your place.
- The success stories sound amazing, but you have no way to check them.
Trust in the Universe is beautiful, but it can also make you an easier target. In a 2023 post titled “Money blocks” on r/NevilleGoddard, the writer says they took a big risk because they felt supported by the universe, then lost all their money and were scammed twice.
In its alert on business coaching scams, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes programs that make money sound easy and say they will show you how, for a fee. The FTC says no one can guarantee you will make lots of money with little to no risk, that anyone who does is a scammer, and that success stories and testimonials deserve skepticism. In the US, the FTC takes scam reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Some money programs also sell Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as a quick fix for money blocks. Wikipedia’s summary of the research says no scientific evidence supports the claims made by NLP advocates, so we do not think it is worth paying extra for.
Free videos that promise to clear your money blocks in seconds do little harm if you enjoy them. Just do not let a video take the place of the real work, or lead you to pay for more. Our manifest money guide (the link is in the opening of this page) covers other money traps, such as gifting games and psychics who promise riches.
Let Your Money Story Have a New Chapter
Your money blocks were written by people who loved you, by hard times and by things you saw before you could ask questions. You did not choose them. But you do get to choose what you keep.
Start with one way tonight. Write a few lines of your money story, or open your bank app and just look. Then turn the page, because the next chapter of your money story is yours to write.
Happy manifesting!
Frequently Asked Questions About Money Blocks
How do I know if I have money blocks?
Look at what you do more than what you think. Avoiding your bank app, undercharging, feeling guilty after small purchases, money vanishing as soon as it arrives and changing the subject whenever money comes up are all common signs. Then write your money story and see whether it sounds most like money avoidance, money worship, money status or money vigilance.
How do you get rid of money blockage fast?
A belief that took years to form will not vanish in a minute, whatever a video title promises. The fastest real start is to catch one money thought today, check it against the facts and change it into something more accurate, then take one small money action to back it up. Many people feel lighter quickly, but releasing a block is a practice you keep up, not a single event.
What are the 33 money blocks?
We could not trace a list of 33 money blocks to any author, book or study, and the lists you find online change from one coach to the next. The research on money beliefs groups them into four types instead: avoidance, worship, status and vigilance. Most blocks people name fit inside one of those.
Can EFT tapping clear money blocks?
EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, means tapping on points on your face and body while you say a phrase about a feeling. Many money coaches use it to calm money anxiety, and some people find it soothing. We found no study showing that tapping clears money blocks, so treat it as a calming practice alongside the ways in this guide, never as a paid cure.
Do money blocks ever go away for good?
Many coaches say old blocks come back when you reach a new level, such as a raise, a first big client or a larger savings goal. That is normal and nothing to fear. Each time, it gets easier, because you already know the block’s name and how to answer it.
