Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Evolved - R.A. Barkley

Insights for Neurodivergent Financial Well-Being

If you’ve ever wondered why managing money sometimes feels like herding cats (especially if you’re neurodivergent), Russell A. Barkley’s Executive Functions might just be the manual you didn’t know you needed. Barkley dives deep into the science of executive functions — the brain’s internal “project manager” — and how quirks in this system explain why some people struggle with budgeting, saving, and impulse spending. Spoiler alert: It’s not about laziness or lack of discipline; it’s biology, baby.

Is it on target? Absolutely. Barkley nails the “why” behind so many everyday struggles neurodivergent people face with finances. His framework of executive functions perfectly explains why planning for “future you” feels like doing a favor for a stranger.

Barkley’s main goal is to explain why our brains act the way they do, not necessarily to offer financial tips. But his insights are the perfect springboard for practical solutions, but not necessarily out-of-the-box solutions. If you apply his ideas, like using automation, reminders, and visual goal-setting, you can hack your executive functions instead of fighting them.

This is a brainy read but well worth it if you want to understand the “invisible forces” behind money struggles. While it’s not a step-by-step financial guide, it offers a much-needed dose of self-compassion and shows that with the right tools and systems, even the most impulsive spender can thrive.

Now for our deep dive...

Why Executive Functions Matter for Financial Success

Managing personal finances is a challenge for many, but for neurodivergent individuals — especially those with ADHD or autism — it can feel like navigating a maze without a map. The concept of “executive function” is often at the heart of these struggles. Russell A. Barkley’s 2012 book, Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Evolved, offers crucial insights that can be directly applied to the world of neurodivergent financial well-being.

Barkley, a renowned clinical psychologist and ADHD expert, dives into the biological, psychological, and evolutionary underpinnings of executive functions. His findings have profound implications for how neurodivergent individuals approach budgeting, saving, and financial planning. This review will explore key themes from Barkley’s book, connect them to the lived experiences of neurodivergent people, and offer practical financial advice rooted in the science of executive function.

What Are Executive Functions and Why Are They Important?

Barkley defines executive functions (EFs) as self-regulation systems that enable goal-directed behavior. These functions include abilities like time management, impulse control, prioritization, and working memory. For neurodivergent individuals, especially those with ADHD, EFs often don’t operate as efficiently as they do for neurotypical people.

This dysfunction manifests in ways that are directly relevant to personal finance:

• Delayed Gratification: The ability to prioritize long-term goals (like saving for retirement) over immediate desires (like impulse purchases) is an executive function. For people with ADHD, delayed gratification is one of the most challenging EF skills to master.

• Planning and Organization: Setting a budget or tracking expenses requires cognitive skills like working memory, goal-setting, and time management. Barkley’s research shows that these EFs are often impaired in individuals with ADHD, making it hard to sustain financial habits.

• Emotional Regulation: Emotional spending — retail therapy, for instance — is a common coping strategy for stress. Neurodivergent individuals often experience heightened emotional sensitivity, which can lead to reactive financial behaviors.

• Self-Motivation: Saving for a goal like a vacation or emergency fund requires internal motivation. Barkley emphasizes that motivation is not always an inherent quality but a skill that can be supported by external systems, like financial coaching or automated savings apps.

In essence, EFs form the cognitive infrastructure for financial health. Barkley’s insights help explain why neurodivergent individuals often face unique financial challenges and how understanding these root causes can lead to better support strategies.

Takeaways From Barkley’s Work for Neurodivergent Financial Planning

Barkley’s most impactful ideas can be directly applied to financial decision-making for neurodivergent individuals. Here are some key concepts from the book and how they connect to financial well-being.

Time Horizon Problem: Why “Future You” Feels Like a Stranger

Barkley’s Concept: Barkley introduces the concept of “time horizon,” which refers to how far into the future one can project their goals and consequences. Neurodivergent individuals, especially those with ADHD, often have a shortened time horizon, focusing on immediate needs and struggling to connect present actions with future outcomes.

Financial Implications: For neurodivergent people, the idea of saving for retirement at age 25 can feel irrelevant because “future me” is a distant, unfamiliar person. This is why 401(k) participation among people with ADHD tends to be lower than average. Barkley’s framework suggests that future planning needs to be made more concrete and visual for neurodivergent individuals.

Solution: Financial tools that help “make the future feel real” can be powerful. Apps that visualize savings growth, gamify financial goals, or send friendly reminders can extend the user’s mental time horizon. Goal-tracking apps like YNAB (You Need A Budget) or Mint can make abstract goals feel tangible.

Working Memory Limits: It’s Hard to Track Money Flows

Barkley’s Concept: Working memory allows people to hold information in their minds temporarily while manipulating it. For neurodivergent individuals, working memory issues mean they often “lose track” of ongoing mental calculations. This is why it’s so easy to forget about small, recurring charges (like subscriptions) or to overlook pending payments.

Financial Implications: When neurodivergent people have to mentally track their bank balance or remember upcoming bills, their cognitive load increases significantly. Barkley’s research shows that working memory deficits can lead to chronic overdraft fees, missed payments, and a lack of clarity about one’s financial position.

Solution: Automating payments, leveraging notifications, and using financial dashboards can significantly reduce cognitive load. Modern fintech platforms like Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) or Trim are designed to track subscriptions and predict upcoming expenses, reducing the mental burden on working memory.

Inhibition and Impulse Control: Impulse Buys Are Hard to Resist

Barkley’s Concept: Barkley discusses the role of “behavioral inhibition,” or the ability to pause before acting. For neurodivergent individuals, impulse control issues often lead to “buy now, regret later” behaviors. Impulse buying is a known coping mechanism for people with ADHD, driven by dopamine-seeking behaviors.

Financial Implications: Credit cards are particularly dangerous in this context, as they allow for immediate gratification. E-commerce sites make this even worse with features like “buy now, pay later” or one-click purchasing. Barkley explains that these temptations hijack executive functions, leading to debt accumulation.

Solution: Implementing “friction” can reduce impulsive decisions. For example, neurodivergent individuals can:

• Use debit instead of credit cards to prevent overspending.

• Enable “waiting periods” on large purchases by using apps like LockIt or bank features that freeze funds temporarily.

• Turn off one-click purchasing on Amazon and other platforms.

Motivation and Self-Discipline: It’s Hard to Stick to a Budget

Barkley’s Concept: Motivation is a key executive function, but it isn’t a constant internal force. Barkley argues that motivation can be externalized — achieved through systems of reward, accountability, and consequences.

Financial Implications: For neurodivergent individuals, a strict monthly budget feels like an abstract exercise in willpower. Instead, creating reward systems tied to small wins can increase motivation to save. For example, apps that reward savings with virtual badges, points, or small cashback bonuses can help build self-discipline over time.

Solution: Consider financial apps that “gamify” progress. Apps like Qapital, which lets you create fun saving rules (e.g., “save $5 every time it rains”), leverage Barkley’s insight about external motivation. Financial coaches or accountability partners can also help provide external motivation.

Barkley’s Evolutionary Perspective: Financial Struggles Are Not a “Moral Failing”

One of Barkley’s most groundbreaking arguments is that executive functions evolved as survival tools. In hunter-gatherer societies, immediate action was critical, and long-term planning was less essential. This insight reframes financial difficulties for neurodivergent people. If human evolution did not “select for” financial planning skills, then modern financial struggles are not personal failings but evolutionary mismatches.

For neurodivergent individuals, this perspective offers compassion and context. It encourages the use of tools and systems that reduce reliance on “willpower” alone. Knowing that our brains aren’t naturally wired for budgeting can reduce feelings of shame, replacing them with a desire to build systems that “hack” executive functions.

How Fintech Can Support Executive Function Deficits

Neurodivergent people can leverage modern fintech tools to compensate for Barkley’s executive function challenges. Here are a few suggestions:

• Round-Up Savings Apps: Apps like Acorns automatically save spare change from everyday purchases.

• Debt Payoff Tools: Apps like Tally manage and prioritize credit card payments automatically.

• Custom Alerts: Banks like Chime allow users to set specific alerts for spending and balances, which can act as “external memory aids” in Barkley’s terms.

• AI-Based Assistance: Financial apps with AI-based advice can serve as a “cognitive assistant” for executive function gaps.

The Verdict: A New Way to View Financial Success

Barkley’s book sheds light on the underlying reasons why neurodivergent individuals face unique financial challenges. Executive function deficits in time management, impulse control, and working memory are not personal flaws but neurological realities. His work provides a roadmap for compassionate financial support, advocating for systems that reduce cognitive load, increase automation, and externalize motivation.

For neurodivergent individuals, the path to financial well-being isn’t about trying harder — it’s about designing systems that work with, not against, the brain. Barkley’s work not only provides a clear understanding of why these challenges exist but also points the way toward better, more accessible financial support.

With the rise of neurodivergent-focused fintech platforms, there is hope that financial independence can become a reality for more people.