FOR many of us, remembering to pay bills and keeping up with financial admin is tricky.
But have you ever stopped to think that your health could be the reason for your money struggles?
A third of the adults diagnosed with the condition struggle with problem debt[/caption]
For someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder it can be almost impossible.
In fact, a third of adults with the condition struggle with problem debt.
While six in ten say it affects their ability to manage money and, according to the Monzo Bank study, adds an extra £1,600 a year to bills.
Here, Mel Hunter, investigates the effect ADHD can have on financial planning — and explains how you can get help.
LINK BETWEEN ADHD AND DEBT
ADHD affects the part of the brain that deals with planning, goal setting and focus.
People with the condition may have an imbalance of dopamine, a chemical linked to the brain’s reward system.
There is a proven link between it and money struggles, with the extra costs incurred known as the ADHD tax.
This comes in the form of impulse spending, late bill payments and extra costs caused by being disorganised — for example forgetting to cancel subscriptions or losing item, as well as medication fees and the impact of the condition on earnings.
When comparison site MoneySuperMarket spoke to 100 people with ADHD, three quarters said they struggled with impulsive spending and six in ten forgot bill dates, leading to late fees.
And according to Monzo, half of people living with the condition often buy things they don’t need or might not be able to afford, compared to 12 per cent who don’t have it.
Kara Gammell, finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, who was diagnosed 20 years ago, says: “Adults with ADHD may find managing their money to be an ongoing struggle.”
They are also three times more likely to miss bill payments.
For Kara, being diagnosed with ADHD helped her understand why she had struggled with managing her money.
“While people with ADHD are often quick thinkers and excel at urgent tasks, we can struggle with anything that we find ‘boring’, which doesn’t bode well with managing money,” she said.
“It’s hardly surprising that I spent my early twenties living pay cheque to pay cheque which led to feelings of shame and putting my head in the sand.”
Kara eventually understood that her brain was not broken — she just needed a different way to manage money.
“I use a combination of methods to manage my finances, particularly automating my savings and regularly setting aside 15 minutes to review my spending and bank accounts.”
Not everyone is aware that adults whose ADHD adversely affects their life may be able to access support through Personal Independence Payments or through the Access To Work scheme.
- Find out more at turn2us.org.uk.
How to manage your money if you have ADHD
ANYONE with ADHD, or suspects they may have it, can also try these tips from debt advice organisation moneywellness.com:
- Make a shopping list and stick to it.
- Wait 24 hours before committing to a big purchase to see if you still want it.
- Unsubscribe from all marketing emails.
- Keep your credit cards in a safe place but out of sight.
- Set up your direct debits and standing orders in advance to avoid late fees.
- Use mobile banking to see instant notifications.
- Set payment reminders via your phone’s calendar.
- Schedule bill payments for when you have been paid, so you can spend or save whatever is left over.
‘Bought things I didn’t need, then struggled to pay’
AFTER struggling with money throughout her adult life, things came to a head for Clare Seal when she found herself facing £27,000 of debt following the birth of her second child.
The 35-year-old mother-of-three from Bath says: “I fell into the trap of buying things I thought were essential, or would solve problems in my life that we didn’t really need at all.”
Clare Seal found herself in £27,000 debt after falling into trap of buying things just to fit in[/caption]
It was four years later that she was diagnosed with ADHD, and that helped her understand why she had struggled so much.
She says: “We’re constantly being bombarded by marketing messages and told we need things. That’s hard for anyone to navigate but it’s so much harder with ADHD.
“As someone who is neurodivergent, I always spent a huge amount of money trying to fit in. I was almost obsessive in my generosity to others without caring about the cost.
“I would also lose track of when things needed to be paid and constantly felt ambushed by regular life admin and expenses.”
Clare and husband Phil, a 34-year-old operations manager, worked out the scale of the debts, which were spread over seven credit cards and an over-draft, and made a plan to get back in control.
She began by breaking down a monthly budget into clear weekly spending, while allowing herself some flexibility rather than going cold turkey.
To stick to her budget, she automated as much of her banking as possible, setting dates where bill payments left her account. The debts were cleared by spring 2021.
Clare, who has 118,000 followers on Instagram, meticulously documented her debt journey on the social media site. She is now a financial coach and author of Five Steps To Financial Wellbeing.
How to shift your credit card debt quickly
By James Flanders, Consumer Reporter
UK Finance reports that we spend a whopping £2 billion a month using our credit cards.
While that little strip of plastic makes everyday spending easy peasy, it comes at a huge cost.
According to The Money Charity, the average credit card debt sits at £2,485 per household or £1,312 per adult.
And if you’re stuck on a credit card with a high APR and only making the minimum repayments, you could be forking out hundreds of pounds extra in interest charges.
For example, if you owe £1,312 on your credit card and are charged 24.8% APR.
If you don’t make any more transactions and pay £100 a month in repayments, you will pay off the card by September 2025 but at £207 in interest.
However, by hunting around for a better deal elsewhere and switching to a balance transfer credit card with a lengthy interest-free period, you can save yourself £162.
If the same person was accepted for a 28-month-long zero-interest credit card with a 3.4% balance transfer fee and made the same £100 repayments each month.
They would pay off the debt sooner, in July 2025, and only fork out £45 towards the 3.4% balance transfer fee.
Before taking out a new credit card or increasing the amount you borrow, it’s vital to consider the consequences.
You should only borrow money if you can afford to pay it back.
It’s always vital to ask yourself if you need to borrow before committing to a new credit card, personal loan or overdraft.
If you use a credit card, I’d recommend that you always pay off your balance in full at the end of each statement period.
Lenders have a responsibility to help customers who are in debt.
If you’re in a debt crisis, your first point of call should be your lender.
They might help you out by offering you a reduced interest rate or a temporary payment holiday – so check in with your lender if you’re struggling.
‘I didn’t know I had autism, thought I was failing at life’
IT was only after Sarah Douglas was diagnosed with ADHD and autism she realised the £22,000 debt she had racked up on credit cards and struggles with money were linked to her health.
The 55-year-old former healthcare assistant, from Bristol, says: “When I was younger, I didn’t have much money coming in and I wasn’t good at managing it.
Sarah Douglas, who was diagnosed with ADHD and autism, realised her £22,000 debt was linked to her health[/caption]
“I bought stuff to get a dopamine hit, but I can’t remember what half of it was.
“Using zero per cent credit cards felt like free money, but then I couldn’t plan ahead to pay them off when the deal finished.”
Sarah trained as a teacher but, as she struggled with her mental health, was never able to follow her chosen career, which affected her income.
As the debts mounted, she felt ashamed.
She says: “I didn’t realise I was neurodivergent, I just thought I was failing at life.”
In 2017, she approached debt charity StepChange.
“They were amazing and never judged,” she says.
Advisers helped Sarah set up a five-year debt repayment plan and she finally paid them off in November 2021.
