The financial archetypes behind every client relationship

Every client has a relationship with money before they ever have one with me. Some love their weekly numbers; some avoid them entirely. That's not random, it's personality, and there's a well-known framework for it: money archetypes, popularized by Kendall SummerHawk's Sacred Money Archetypes® system. Here's how I've come to see the eight archetypes show up in my own client relationships.

The Accumulator — the saver and planner. Easy clients on the surface, but they can sit on good decisions long after the numbers say go. My job is often just saying: the data supports it, take the leap.

The Alchemist — the idea person. The financial side feels like an afterthought until I connect the numbers to the vision they're already chasing.

The Celebrity — builds the brand and the image fast, and spends to match it. The business often looks stronger from the outside than the cash flow behind it actually is.

The Connector — runs the business on relationships, which means discounts for friends and forgotten invoices. Most of my work here is putting boundaries around their generosity.

The Maverick — moves fast, gets bored of process. I keep their systems lean enough to survive their instinct to shake things up.

The Nurturer — gives generously to everyone, including their own clients, often at their own expense. I remind them their business needs looking after too.

The Romantic — wants ease, not admin. Once automation is running quietly in the background, they're relieved rather than resistant.

The Ruler — thinks in growth and milestones, loves a dashboard, and risks burning out chasing the next number without pausing to take stock.

Most people carry two or three of these, not just one. Knowing which ones a client leans toward changes how I present numbers, how often I check in, and where I focus the advisory conversation, because good bookkeeping isn't just accurate, it has to fit how someone actually relates to money.

Curious which one sounds like you?