4 Steps to Identifying Your Financial Mindset Hierarchy

I recently started working with a couple in their early 40s. My first assignment to them was to have them identify and rank order their top values. But as they shared their results with me, they were inadvertently sharing their money mindsets with me.  

For example, the wife said that one of her values was success and stability because she didn’t want to struggle like her parents struggled and overcome some of the limiting money beliefs they passed down to her. I asked her to tell me a story about that, and she shared that her parents thought that working for corporations made you evil, and money corrupted people.  

As a result, she stayed stuck in survival because subconsciously she was holding herself back from moving toward more financial success because she believed it would mean she was corrupt or evil. 

When I sit down with clients for the first time, I’m really trying to understand how they think about money. And many Latinos I work with say they want to be rich, but to them being reach means security, peace, and the freedom to finally break the patterns our families carried.  

In order to break those patterns, we need to understand what level we are in the Financial Mindset Hierarchy, which is a framework I created in my Finances con Corazon process that helps you understand where they are financially—and why certain strategies work for some people but not for others. Not everyone is in the same place, and until someone understands their current level, it’s easy to feel stuck using tools that don’t fit their reality.  

In our community especially, we’ve been taught to compare. We look around and ask ourselves why we’re not further along. We internalize the idea that if we just tried harder, saved more, or invested sooner, we would be “ahead.” But financial progress isn’t about comparison—it’s about meeting yourself where you are and moving forward intentionally. The hierarchy explains that people move through distinct stages in their financial lives, and each stage comes with different priorities, fears, and decision-making patterns. Financial progress is not about jumping stages. It’s about taking the right step for the stage you’re actually in. 

The Five Levels We Move Through  

The Financial Mindset Hierarchy explains that we move through distinct stages in our financial lives. Each stage comes with different priorities, fears, and decision-making patterns. 

The five levels are: 

Survival. At this level, the focus is immediate: rent, food, utilities. There’s often fear. Decisions are reactive. The nervous system is on high alert. People aren’t ready to talk about investing or retirement planning in this stage.  

Struggle. Bills are getting paid — sometimes — but there’s stress. Debt may be growing. There’s effort, but not yet breathing room. Hope and frustration often live side by side. 

Stability. Your income covers expenses and you might be stashing away something in savings. Your decisions are less emotional and more intentional. It’s important in this stage to implement some planning and systems and processes.  

Success. In this stage, your assets are growing and you have wealth-building tools in place. Your focus shifts from “Can I make it?” to “How do I optimize this?” Strategy becomes more sophisticated. 

Significance. In this stage, money starts becoming about legacy, impact, and meaning. You might start asking yourself: How do I serve? How do I lift others? How do I build something that outlives me? 

None of these levels define your worth, they’re just markers of your current reality. And when we tell the truth about where we are, we can figure out a path to get to where we want to be.  

One of the core philosophies I teach my Corazon Financial Advocates is that we must meet people where they are. If someone in Survival tries to implement strategies designed for Success, they’ll feel like they are failing. If someone in Stability continues to operate from a Struggle mindset, they may remain stuck even with adequate income. This is why we always integrate money, mindset, and meaning. Money is tools and behavior. Mindset is beliefs and psychology. Meaning is purpose, fulfillment, and legacy. If we don’t address all three, we create friction. 

How to Figure Out What Stage You’re In 

Before you start talking about investments, insurance, estate planning, or any sophisticated financial planning strategy, you need to understand your current financial mindset. This framework helps you identify where you truly is are so you can map out a path to where you want to go.  

Here are four steps to figure out what part of the hierarchy you’re currently in:  

Step. 1: Identify your current level. This requires honest reflection. Consider what stage best describes your present reality—not where you wish you were, not where your friends are, and not where social media says you should be. Honesty matters more than anything else during this step.  

Step 2: Name the challenges of that level. Each stage in the hierarchy comes with predictable stressors, fears, and patterns. When we name those challenges, we reduce shame and normalize the experience. Instead of thinking, “Something is wrong with me,” the client begins to see, “This is part of this stage.” That shift alone can lower anxiety and increase confidence. 

Step 3: Clarify the next step. The goal of this stage isn’t to jump from Survival to Success overnight, it’s to gradually make small progress until you move from one level to the next. Small progress at the right stage creates momentum. When you focus on the appropriate next move, rather than a dramatic leap, you build stability and trust in themselves. 

Step 4: Anchor in meaning. Regardless of the level you are in, I encourage you to connect your finances to your purpose, values, and the life you want to live. Money without meaning leads to burnout. But when financial effort is tied to family, dignity, freedom, faith, or legacy, motivation lasts longer than fear or fatigue. 

I built this framework to liberate you. Stop shaming yourself for not being further along. Just start building from the truth. You aren’t behind. You are not broken. You are at a stage—and stages change when you move forward with clarity, courage, and comunidad. That is how we move from Survival to Stability, from Stability to Success, and from Success to Significance—one intentional step at a time, con corazón.