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✥ FOOL
The type is really a combination of the Innocent & the Warrior. Like the former, the Fool is often judgment-impaired & has trouble seeing the truth about things. The main difference is that Fools are relatively fearless & the eternal optimist regardless of circumstances.
However, Fools are like Warriors because they seem to always land on their feet & are not easily defeated. They too set out to conquer the world but are easily distracted, without the Warrior’s discipline.
An adventurer, they get caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment, caring little about details. A gambler by nature, the Fool is always looking for a windfall by taking financial shortcuts. Even though “a fool and his money are soon parted” often comes true, they often win because they’re willing to throw the dice. 
The Fool is much more interested in money-making as a sport or recreation than as a serious effort. They very much live in the moment, quite unattached to future outcome. They may happily give the shirt off their backs – only to realize later that it was their last or it wasn’t their shirt.
However – they do have some remarkable qualities that if mastered – could turn them into a Magician. (more interested in truth than what other people think of them, poking fun at their own ego, seeing the lighter side of dark situations….).
✥ INDIFFERENT -to-Money
This type is the person who feel they doesn’t care about money & rarely think about it, because they feel it’s not important – or it’s too overwhelming. They avoid managing their money & obligations, don’t pay attention to money in or out, relying on others for financial decisions (just the idea of creating a budget makes them nauseous).
They act Blissfully Ignorant, uncomfortable about or avoidant in dealing with money. Their philosophy is that money will sort itself out – deeply believing “I don’t deserve money when others have less than me, or It’s selfish to want more money than just enough to get by.” They can be charitable, & are good candidates for automating savings & investing.
They think it’s rude to talk about it, feel strongly that money shouldn’t influence important decisions in their life, think that anyone who makes a lot of money are greedy, & in extreme cases believe money is inherently evil. Even so, they can easily be financially unstable, having a hard time meeting their bills, & depend on a partner or spouse to handle finances for them.
✥ INNOCENT (an INDIFFERENT variation)
They takes the ostrich approach to money matters – often living in denial, burying their heads in the sand so they won’t have to see what is going on around them. They’re easily overwhelmed by financial information & rely heavily on the advice & opinions of others.
Innocents are perhaps the most trusting of all the money archetypes because they do not see people or situations for what they are. They’re like small children in the sense that they have not yet learned to judge or discern other’s motives or behavior. While this trait can be very endearing, it is also precarious for an adult trying to cope in the real world.
✥ OSTRICH – (another variation)
Anxiety drives this behavior too – making no decision always feels easier than the possibility of making the wrong decision. This is someone who would rather bury their head in the sand than organize their finances. Piles of mail lie unopened on the doormat, & seldom open their bank statements.
Older birds may have money, but consistently fail to make long-term investment decisions. A more sophisticated version is the wealthy investor who hands their finances to an adviser / manager but never checks what’s being done with the money, or the investment charges eating into their returns.
Mr Evensky states : “At one level, you have the client who walks in with brown bags full of papers & statements but don’t understand what they mean. More commonly, there are those who have a single account with a brokerage firm but just have no idea about what it is being invested in, or why.”
NEXT : MM – Archetypes, #3

