Latest news with #KansasStateUniversity
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Setting aside 'worry time' can help you get better with money, therapist says—here's how
Feeling uneasy about your financial future? You're not alone. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) Americans say financial uncertainty has led them to feelings of anxiety and depression, according to a recent survey from Northwestern Mutual. Financial anxiety is a looming feeling, often borne of the notion that you're not doing well enough — for your future self, for someone your age or compared with your peers, says Megan McCoy, a financial therapist and professor at Kansas State University. "Anxiety tends to swirl in our minds all day, especially when it's about money," she says. But instead of trying to avoid these feelings or letting them get in the way of other things you want to accomplish, set aside time to deal with them. "A surprisingly effective strategy is to schedule a daily or weekly 'worry time' — 15 to 20 minutes dedicated only to your financial concerns," McCoy says. First, write down everything you're anxious about. This could include everything from concrete, numbers-based worries ("I'm not sure how I'll afford it if my kid wants to go to a private college") to lifestyle-based anxieties ("Everyone on my Instagram feed appears to be taking more frequent, nicer vacations than I do"). From there, sort the items into two lists: things you can control and things you can't, says McCoy. "This process helps transform vague, persistent worry into two buckets: action and acceptance," she says. "It's not about ignoring your fears — it's about learning how to manage them with intention." For the things you can control, focus on taking small, incremental steps toward the change you want. That may be mean setting up regular, automatic deposits into a 529 account or a vacation fund. If you can name dedicated savings accounts after these goals, even better, says McCoy. Specifically named accounts "help people feel organized and emotionally attached to their progress," she says. "They also reduce the temptation to spend impulsively because the money already has a purpose." If getting this set up on your own sounds daunting, don't be afraid to ask for help, McCoy says. A financial planner can help you translate your fears and goals into actionable steps. You may even be able to get free help through your employer. As for the factors that are out of your control — the future of the stock market, U.S. trade policy and tax rates, how much money your friends are making — give yourself a little grace. McCoy suggests taking a step back and trying to redefine success on your own personal terms. Do you have choices? Does your spending align with your values? Are you being intentional about the ways you save and spend money? If you answered yes to all three, you may be doing better than you think. "This reframing reduces pressure and invites a more grounded, compassionate view of financial health," McCoy says.
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Why male corporate leaders and billionaires need financial therapy
Corporate leaders and billionaires are often viewed as visionaries and wealth creators. But beneath the surface, many are trapped in an invisible financial crisis—one rooted not in market volatility or poor investments but in their psychological relationship with money. As a finance professor and editor of the forthcoming book Financial Therapy for Men, I study this often overlooked aspect of financial psychology. Money is far more than numbers on a balance sheet—it carries emotional, psychological and social meaning. People's relationships with money are shaped by childhood experiences, cultural beliefs, and personal triumphs and failures. This emotional baggage can influence not only their sense of safety and self-worth but also how they manage power and status. The field of financial therapy emerged in the mid-2000s to address these dynamics. Drawing from behavioral economics, financial psychology, family systems theory, and clinical therapy, it aims to help people understand how their thoughts, feelings, and experiences shape financial behavior. Foundational academic work began at Kansas State University, home to one of the first graduate-level programs in the field. Since then, financial therapy has gained traction in the U.S. and globally: It's supported by a peer-reviewed journal and is increasingly integrated into professional practice by financial advisers and licensed therapists. Studies have shown that financial therapy can improve relationships and reduce emotional distress. Yet much of the field focuses on people who are emotionally open and reflective—neglecting executives, who are often socialized to view themselves as purely rational decision-makers. I think this is a mistake. Research shows that people often project their unconscious anxieties onto markets, experiencing them as mirrors of competence, failure, or control. This means that public valuations and capital flows may carry deeply symbolic weight for corporate leaders. My research suggests that people at the highest levels of wealth and power have deeply complex emotional relationships with money—but the field of financial therapy has largely overlooked them. This isn't an accident. It reflects a broader assumption that wealth insulates people from psychological distress. In reality, emotional entanglements can intensify with greater wealth and power—and research suggests that men, in particular, face distinct challenges. True inclusion in financial therapy means recognizing and responding to these needs. When distress becomes a leadership crisis In a 2023 study— When and why do men negotiate assertively? —Jens Mazei, whose research focuses on negotiations and conflict management, and his colleagues found that men become more aggressive in negotiations when they think their masculinity is being threatened. This was especially true in contexts viewed as 'masculine,' such as salary negotiations. In 'non-masculine' contexts, such as negotiations over flexible work and child care benefits, participants weren't significantly more aggressive when their masculinity was challenged. On male-coded topics, many men in the study reinforced gender norms by rejecting compromise, using hardball tactics or even inflating financial demands to reassert their masculinity. These behaviors reflect an unconscious need to restore a sense of masculine identity, the researchers suggest. If this reaction occurs in salary negotiations, how might it manifest when the stakes are exponentially higher? Emerging research in organizational psychology shows that financial stress is linked to abusive supervision, particularly among men who feel a loss of control. Further, traits such as CEO masculinity have been linked with increased risk-taking, while female CEOs tend to reduce risk. Together, these findings point to a dangerous intersection of psychological stress, masculinity and executive decision-making. M&A as a masculinity battleground Financial distress doesn't always look like bankruptcy or bad credit. Among powerful men, it can manifest as overconfidence, rigidity, or aggression—and it can sometimes lead to very uneconomical outcomes. Consider the research on M&A. Most mergers and acquisitions are value killers —in other words, they destroy more economic value than they create—and the field of M&A is deeply male. These two facts suggest that some mergers are driven more by threatened masculinity than by strategic logic. If men become more aggressive in negotiations when their masculinity is threatened, then CEOs and corporate leaders, who are overwhelmingly male, may react similarly when their companies, and by extension their leadership, are challenged. Target companies rarely take a passive approach to acquisition attempts. Instead, they deploy defensive measures such as poison pills, golden parachutes, staggered boards, and scorched-earth tactics. In addition to serving financial goals, these may also act as symbolic defenses of masculine authority. Mergers and acquisitions, by their nature, create a contest of power between dominant figures. The very language of M&A—for example, ' raiders,' 'hostile takeovers,' 'defenses,' and ' white knights '—is combative. This reinforces an environment where corporate leaders may view acquisition attempts as challenges to their authority rather than as just financial transactions. A growing body of behavioral-strategy research confirms that boardroom decisions are often shaped by emotional undercurrents rather than purely rational analysis. While this research stops short of naming it, the dynamics it describes align closely with what Mazei and colleagues call 'masculinity threat.' This has direct implications for corporate M&A. The overwhelming majority of top CEOs are men, and the language of M&A often evokes siege, power struggles and conquest. In such a symbolic arena, acquisition attempts can trigger deep, emotionally charged responses, as the identity stakes are high. What appear to be strategic financial decisions may actually be reflexive defenses of masculine authority. On a related note, researchers in behavioral finance have long studied the ' endowment effect,' or the tendency for people to value assets more simply because they own them. While the endowment effect has been studied primarily among retail investors making ordinary financial decisions, it could be particularly important for corporate executives and billionaires, who have more to lose. When combined with threatened masculinity, the endowment effect can produce combustible reactions to declining valuations, missed earnings or takeover bids—even for individuals who remain vastly wealthy after marginal losses. While the research at this intersection is still emerging, the underlying behavioral patterns are well-established. What does financial therapy for the ultrarich look like? Financial therapy for high-net-worth individuals rarely looks like sitting on a couch discussing childhood trauma. Instead, it takes an interdisciplinary approach involving financial advisers, therapists, and sometimes executive coaches. Sessions tend to focus on legacy planning, control issues, guilt over wealth, or strained family relationships. Many high-net-worth men display behaviors that don't look like stereotypical 'financial distress.' These can include compulsive deal-making, emotionally driven investment decisions, workaholism, and difficulty trusting advisers. In some cases, unresolved financial trauma shows up as chronic dissatisfaction and the sense that no achievement, acquisition, or net worth is ever 'enough.' While financial therapy is intended to help individuals, I think it could actually be a tool for global economic stability. After all, when masculinity is threatened in corporate decision-making, the consequences can extend far beyond the boardroom. These actions can destabilize industries, fuel economic downturns, and disrupt entire labor markets. Unchecked financial anxiety among corporate elites and billionaires isn't just their own problem—it can cascade and become everyone's problem. From this perspective, financial therapy isn't just a personal good. It's a structural necessity that can prevent unchecked financial distress from driving destructive corporate decisions and broader economic disruptions. If financial therapy helps people navigate financial distress and make healthier money decisions, then no group needs it more than male corporate leaders and billionaires.
Morocco World
5 days ago
- Sport
- Morocco World
Rhizlane Siba: ‘High Jump Chose Me and Not the Other Way Around'
Rabat — Rhizlane Siba, Moroccan track and field athlete specializing in high jump, stumbled upon the sport by chance. At the age of ten, her primary school teacher tied a rope between two poles in the playground and asked students to jump over it. Siba recounted her origin story with the sport in detail in an interview with Morocco World News (MWN). 'We jumped from the ground to the ground, scissoring the rope and landing on our feet,' she recalls. 'I jumped the highest in my class, and then in my grade. I even jumped higher than some older students.' That brief schoolyard moment changed everything. Her teacher encouraged her to train at Stadium Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. 'I never looked back after that,' she told MWN. Within two years, she joined Morocco's national team. Records, medals Siba now holds the Moroccan national record for high jump in all age categories: youth, junior, and senior. She became a three-time national champion across categories and marked her name as the most consistent high jumper in the country's history. One achievement stands above the rest. 'At the 2014 African Senior Championships in Marrakech, I won Morocco's only gold medal,' she also told MWN. 'I was still a junior. The national anthem was played only once that entire competition, and it was for my medal. My win had not even been accounted for before the event began.' Another milestone came a year earlier, in Ukraine. She brought home a bronze medal at the 2013 Youth World Championships. 'That made me the first Moroccan high jumper to ever medal at a world championship. It was a big deal for me.' A sport on the margins Despite these accomplishments, Siba continues to fight for recognition. Morocco has long celebrated its runners, who have collected the bulk of the country's Olympic and world medals. High jump, by contrast, remains overlooked. 'We are known for running, and rightfully so,' she says. 'But we can also support technical events like high jump. No Moroccan high jumper has ever qualified for the Olympics. I plan to change that.' She believes this lack of visibility stems from long-standing structural issues. 'There is no infrastructure or system that pushes athletes in technical events. You have to create your own path, and that's never easy.' Discipline before talent For Siba, discipline remains the most essential quality an athlete can develop. 'Discipline is the driving force behind performance,' she says. 'An ambitious athlete who trains one day and skips the next will never improve. Talent and ambition need structure.' Her own structure began at home. She credits her parents with supporting her in the early stages of her career. 'Without their sacrifices, I would never have been in a position to qualify for college sports in the United States,' she says. The American chapter In 2014, Siba's love and skill for the sport moved her the US to attend Kansas State University on a full athletic scholarship. 'Those five years in Kansas were transformative,' she says. 'Both on the track and in the classroom.' The experience revealed to her what investment in athletes could look like. 'Student-athletes in the United States are treated better than professional athletes back home,' she says. 'They get academic support, nutrition guidance, injury prevention, and still graduate with a degree.' This contrast left a deep impression. 'In Morocco, unless you are in a sports academy, the school system does not accommodate the needs of athletes. And even those academies often lack proper academic training.' Advocating for sports science Since returning to Morocco, Siba has worked to modernize the way athletes train. 'We cannot apply the same methods for over a decade and expect better outcomes,' she says. 'I have been pushing for the application of scientific methods in training.' For her, this means data collection, performance tracking, injury prevention, and athlete recovery programs led by professionals. 'It does not replace the coach,' she says. 'It enhances the coach's work and gives athletes a real chance to grow.' She sees little effort from national institutions to adopt these practices. 'The state of athletics in Morocco has barely changed since I started in 2008. In some cases, it has worsened,' she says. 'Some athletes succeed, but it is because of their own persistence, not support from the system.' The visibility gap Siba believes that support and visibility remain deeply unequal across disciplines. 'Footballers, especially those in the national team, now enjoy public interest and corporate attention,' she says. 'But athletes in individual sports are still left to manage on their own.' She notes that recognition often arrives too late. 'Athletes only become visible after international success. Even then, it does not always lead to sponsorships or financial support. It is a constant struggle.' New paths, future projects Despite the challenges, Siba continues to take part in new initiatives. This past June, she represented Morocco's National Olympic Committee (CNOM) in Greece as one of the 2025 Youth Olympic Ambassadors. The session took place in Athens and Olympia, under the theme 'Sports and Artificial Intelligence.' 'There were 175 ambassadors from around the world,' she says. 'We explored how AI will transform sports from performance analysis and broadcasting to environmental solutions.' The session left her with new ideas. 'I want to work with the CNOM on a project powered by AI that supports and inspires Moroccan athletes,' she says. 'It is no longer enough to train hard. We also need systems that are smart and adaptive.' Siba knows the path will not be simple. She continues to train with the sole goal of becoming the first Moroccan high jumper to qualify for the Olympic Games. But her goal goes beyond personal recognition. 'I want to show that high jump belongs in Morocco's sporting story,' she says. 'I want to create a future where athletes in all disciplines feel supported.' She did not set out to become a record-breaker. She simply listened when the sport called her name, and took the leap. Tags: high jumpMoroccan athleterhizlane sibasibasports
CNBC
15-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
7 in 10 Americans are anxious about money—and earning more won't necessarily help, says therapist
Americans are feeling increasingly uneasy about their financial future. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) say financial uncertainty has led them to feelings of anxiety and depression, according to a recent survey from Northwest Mutual — an 8-percentage-point increase from 2023. It's tempting to point to large-scale financial trends to help explain the uptick. Americans hold near-record levels of credit card debt, for instance, amounting to $1.18 trillion, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. And consumers are still trying to gauge how shifting U.S. tariff policies could ultimately affect the rising cost of goods and services. While those factors may explain why some people are feeling stressed about money, they don't get to the heart of financial anxiety, says Megan McCoy, a financial therapist and professor at Kansas State University. Financial stress, she says, is a response to a concrete event. You need new tires and don't have enough money in your bank account to buy them, for example. Anxiety is harder to pin down. "Financial anxiety doesn't have that external effect. It's just this looming feeling," McCoy says. "It's an ambiguous fear that something is going to go wrong or you're not doing good enough or you're not going to have enough in the future." If those sorts of feelings have you tossing and turning at night, experts recommend taking the following steps. While it's possible for people in any financial situation to experience anxiety about their money, having good financial health certainly helps, experts say. After all, someone with no debt and ample retirement savings has a much less uncertain future than someone with escalating credit card bills and no savings. To alleviate financial stressors, the No. 1 thing to focus on is your emergency savings, says Niki Glen, a certified financial planner and wealth management advisor at Northwest Mutual. "You should generally have three to six months' worth of expenses in cash or cash equivalents in an emergency fund, and I'm actually suggesting a little bit more these days," she says. The more anxious you're feeling, the more you should prioritize building up a cash cushion that you can put to work in the event of an unforeseen expense. "If you have any big expenses coming up — big vacations, a new car, major home projects — I would suggest delaying those. That money can be more valuable for you as a financial buffer," Glen says. You may have much of your financial house in order, but still find yourself wringing your hands over money. Rather than feeling guilty about it, schedule weekly or even daily "worry time," where you spend 15 or 20 minutes focusing only on your financial concerns. Write down everything you're anxious about, says McCoy. Divide your concerns into two camps: things you can change and things that are out of your control. "This process helps transform vague, persistent worry into two buckets: action and acceptance," McCoy says. Focus on making steady progress on the things you can control, like paying down debt or saving toward goals such as a home down payment or your kid's college fund. Rather than looking at these goals as a whole, think of them as small parts of your daily routine. "For instance, instead of, 'I want to build a $10,000 emergency fund, try: 'After I make my coffee, I'll transfer $5 into savings,'" McCoy suggests. Of course, some things in the world of finance will always be out of your control, like the direction of the stock market or U.S. trade policy. "Finding a way to do these tangible things that you do have power over will alleviate some of the stress you have about the things you can't control," McCoy says.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Britain's worst drink driver had enough alcohol in his system to have put him in a COMA
Britain's worst drink driver in the past decade was stopped with a blood-alcohol reading high enough to have put him in a coma and even kill him, new figures reveal. Around 6,800 people die or are injured in drink driving related collisions on Britain's roads each year and the statistics are on the rise, with fatalities recording in 2022 the highest they've been in almost 15 years. Latest figures show drink-driving collisions now represent more than one in six (17 per cent) of all deaths on the road annually, with the Government facing pressure to release its long-awaited 'road safety strategy'. And new DVLA data exclusively shared with This is Money has exposed just how far over the legal drink-drive limit some motorists have been in the past 10 years. The highest reading for someone convicted of drink driving between 2015 and 2024 was recorded last July, when a 39-year-old male registered a reading of 513mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre). That is six-and-a-half times over the legal limit and the equivalent of a 13-stone male consuming 22 pints of beer. Scroll down to see the list of 20 highest drink-drive readings police measured in the last decade. Having this level of alcohol in the blood is considered 'potentially fatal' by medical experts. The team at Kansas State University concluded that readings higher than 400mg/dL can 'depress respiration to the point where it's not sufficient to sustain life', while those above 450mg/dL are 'often associated with coma and death'. Graham Conway, from leading UK vehicle leasing firm Select Car Leasing, who obtained the figures via the Freedom of Information Act, said: 'These numbers are simply incredible - in the worst way possible. 'Drinking any amount of alcohol before driving is strongly advised against, and for good reason. But to drink so much that your level is considered life-threatening, before then getting behind the wheel, is simply beyond comprehension.' Select Car Leasing asked the DVLA for the top 20 highest blood alcohol readings obtained for convicted drivers over the past 10 years. The second highest was in June 2024 - a 62-year-old male who had a level of 471mg/dL - while third was a 37-year-old male who recorded an alcohol-blood reading of 460mg/dL in August 2022. The highest level taken from a female motorist came in October 2017 when a 51-year-old lady was measured having 400mg/dL of alcohol in her system. Of the top 10 worst drink drivers of all, six were women. Nine of the 20 worst offenders were in their 30s at the time of the incident, six were in their 40s, two in their 50s, and three in their 60s. The lowest age was 31 while the two oldest offenders were both 66. TOP 20 BLOOD-ALCOHOL READINGS REGISTERED BY DRIVERS (2015-2024) Date Gender Age Blood-alcohol (mg/dL) July 2024 Male 39 513 June 2023 Male 62 471 August 2022 Male 37 460 September 2019 Male 42 440 December 2024 Male 66 425 February 2024 Male 41 424 February 2015 Male 66 413 December 2016 Male 38 400 October 2017 Female 51 400 March 2018 Male 33 399 August 2020 Female 31 398 June 2016 Male 33 396 May 2018 Male 48 395 February 2024 Female 48 394 March 2022 Female 43 390 June 2015 Female 57 389 April 2015 Male 36 385 May 2017 Female 40 384 November 2017 Male 38 378 November 2015 Male 34 376 Source: Select Car Leasing FOI request to DVLA for 20 highest blood alcohol readings, recorded on GB driving licence holder records, in relation to a drink driving offence between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2024 Mr Conway said: 'Rather worryingly, the stats show that four of the top five highest readings were recorded within the past three years. 'This indicates the well-established message that drink-driving is both dangerous and socially unacceptable has simply not landed with some people. 'We're not talking about the odd drink either - this is consuming well into double figures to reach the levels recorded.' Around 6,800 people die or are injured in drink driving related collisions on Britain's roads each year and the statistics are on the rise, with fatalities recording in 2022 the highest they've been in almost 15 years The legal alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (mg/dL) or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The law in Scotland is different, with 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 22 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath the limit. Being caught over the limit could land you with an unlimited fine, an automatic driving ban of at least a year and up to six months in prison. If you cause death while driving under the influence, the maximum penalty is now life imprisonment. Research conducted by road safety charity Brake! found that the average driver is six times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they have 50-80 mg alcohol per 100ml blood, compared to 0ml. They're three times more likely to die on the roads if they have 20-50mg alcohol per 100ml of blood, compared to zero. Almost half (46 per cent) are also found to be more likely at fault in road collisions if having 10mg alcohol per 100ml, compared to nothing at all.
