About Money Behaves

Our story

Most personal finance websites do a good job of explaining the numbers. They define APR, list the fees and show the formulas. However, people rarely make money decisions with a calculator in hand. We make them on a busy afternoon, looking at a statement, a banking app or an offer that says “approved”.

In those moments, the way a number is presented can matter as much as the number itself. A $90 minimum payment looks like the right amount to pay, even though paying only that on a $3,000 card balance could take more than 12 years. A lower monthly payment feels cheaper, even when a longer loan costs more in total. Available credit can start to feel like available money.

Money Behaves was created to explain both sides of these decisions. First, we explain how a financial product works and what it really costs. Then, we point out the details that can make an expensive choice feel cheap, so you can notice them before they cost you money.

Money is math. Decisions are psychology.

The idea behind every Money Behaves lesson

Who is behind Money Behaves

Money Behaves was founded by Lorena Ballester. She is an economist and a psychology student, Lorena is especially interested in how people make financial decisions: how they understand risk, how they react to percentages, how they read costs and what happens when financial information becomes complicated.

That perspective shapes every lesson on the site. Instead of only telling you what a term means, we try to show you how it can feel in real life, and what to look at more carefully.

To be clear: Lorena is not a licensed financial advisor, and Money Behaves does not give personal financial advice. That is exactly why every lesson is built on official U.S. sources and published research, and why we always show where our information comes from.

How we write our lessons

Every lesson on Money Behaves follows the same approach, so you know what to expect from each page:

• We start with official sources. Rules and definitions come from U.S. government agencies and regulators, and we link to them in the lesson.
• We show the math. Many lessons include our own worked examples, with the assumptions written out so you can follow each step. Examples are hypothetical unless we say otherwise.
• We explain the behavior with research. When we talk about why a choice can feel different from what it costs, we rely on published studies from psychology and economics.
• We keep it simple. Each topic starts with Level 1, which covers the basics, and continues with Level 2, which compares options and costs with real examples.
• Every lesson is checked. Before a lesson is published, Lorena reviews it, checks every figure and fact against its sources and edits it for clarity.

Where our information comes from

Our main sources are U.S. public agencies and regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the SEC’s Investor.gov, the Federal Reserve, the IRS, HealthCare.gov and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). For the behavioral side, we use peer-reviewed research and link directly to the studies we mention.

What you will not find here

Money Behaves is an educational website. We do not give personalized financial, investment, tax, insurance or legal advice, because a general article cannot take your full situation into account. We do not sell financial products, and no company pays us to rank or recommend its products.

The site is free to read and may be supported by advertising. Ads never influence what we write, and if we ever include affiliate links, we will clearly label them. Before making an important financial decision, check the current terms with the provider and, when needed, talk to a qualified professional. You can read more in our Legal Notice.

Corrections and updates

Interest rates, fees and rules change over time. For that reason, we review our lessons and update them when the information changes. If you find a mistake or something that looks outdated, please tell us and we will check it as soon as possible.

Get in touch

We would love to hear from you, whether you have a question about a lesson, a topic you would like us to cover or a correction to suggest. Please do not send account numbers, passwords or other sensitive financial information.