The Understanding Autism Podcast

Dealing with our own personal finances can be stressful, especially to those on the spectrum. But are we thinking about money in a way that supports our mental health? In this episode, we discuss four books that explore the connection between money and mindfulness.

The lure of using a credit card is strong when you’re first living on your own; it’s like free money! Or is it? In this episode we tackle the sticky problem of using credit cards and the advantages and disadvantages they offer us in purchasing the things we need.

In our second of two episodes on taking charge of your own personal finance, we continue the conversation around basic budgeting practices through Simon Ray’s book, How to Budget For Beginners: A Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting, Saving Money, and Managing Expenses on a Low Income. We also reflect on how budgeting can be especially challenging for neurodiverse people.

A big challenge in transitioning to living alone is the experience of managing a budget. This can be especially difficult if you are neurodiverse and have no previous experience in running your own household. Dealing with limited income, bills, taxes, unexpected events; it all adds up. In this first of two episodes, we explore basic budgeting practices and reflect on our own experiences as we tried to manage our own debt as young adults.

As young autistic adults prepare for living independently, it’s important to have a good grasp of money management. But how do schools prepare their neurodiverse students for the economic pitfalls that come with living on their own? We discuss this topic with Zach Nuttall, a life skills specialist at Scenic View Academy, about the unique challenges that his autistic students face when learning about personal finance.